The Outcasts and the Whitebeards
by aurorareality
Summary: In which Luffy has been a bit more stupid and a lot less lucky. Sabo and Ace are attempting to save their brother by racing against time and gaining notoriety in the process. Poor Garp has been unable to catch up, due to a very impressive system of connections. What happens when the two overprotective big brothers find that the next obstacle is the Whitebeard Crew.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A figure walked out of the flames, carrying a metal pipe in one hand and a velvet wrapped box in another. A top hat shaded his eyes, his blue noble's wear flapping in the breeze that was blowing through the door. The barricaded and reinforced iron door that was currently smashed into the stone floor of the warehouse, fire lapping over it and slowly melting the metal.

"I beg your pardon, sirs. Did I disrupt your meeting?" His voice carried a hint of nobility in them, rising at the end with a courteous lilt. He tapped the box with a leather encased finger. "I'll be taking this, then, if you don't mind."

The men in the warehouse had huddled against the far wall, quivering and clambering over each other to get to the very back and avoid the fury of the flames. The leader shoved his way through his men, taking advantage of their confusion to hightail it to the hidden exit. He didn't plan on dying at this particular moment. The heat had grown unbearable, and the leader wondered how the intruder was standing in the midst of the flames and not being burnt to a crisp. Smoke clouded the building, but certain details could still be made out. Top hat. Noble's speaking habits. Immaculate, expensive clothing.

All of a sudden, he realized who it was. Fear whipped through his heart.

The Bloody Gentleman, co-captain of the assassin and pirate group, ASL.

* * *

"That was messier than usual, Sabo," Ace complained as Luffy poked a grasshopper hiding in the sand of the beach. Sabo rolled his eyes. "You're getting careless."

"You're one to talk," Sabo retorted. "You couldn't put one foot inside enemy territory without getting discovered." Luffy looked up from his grasshopper.

"That's true, Ace! Remember when you accidentally lit the whole place on fire?"

"See," Sabo said. "Even Luffy admits it!" Ace looks ready to kill, but Sabo pulls out the box and Ace's attention immediately snaps to it.

"You got it?" He asked.

"Yeah," Sabo grinned. "It was a piece of cake." Ace and Sabo share a look, silently agreeing to talk about it later. Ace turns and prods Luffy in the stomach.

"What?" He asks, annoyed, as the grasshopper scuttles off hurriedly, obviously eager to escape the terror that was Luffy. "It got away!"

"Do you know who's next on the list?" Ace asks. That got Luffy's attention.

"Who?" He was practically bouncing up and down.

"The name next on the list… Marshall D Teach, of the Whitebeard crew!"

"Cool!" Luffy says, eyes shining. Sabo immediately protests.

"We aren't ready for that yet! We can't take on the entirety of Whitebeard's crew!"

"Well, I think we can do it," Ace replies, irritated.

"Choose someone else." Sabo demands.

"He's the closest," Ace says. Luffy went back to his grasshopper.

"Are you seriously going to risk Luffy's life for this?" Sabo asks, knowing Luffy is his weak spot. That went for both of them, actually.

"This is for Luffy!" Ace lowers his voice. "Marshall D Teach has one." Sabo's eyes widen.

"Still, Ace! We could always find someone else!"

"Are you implying that I can't handle myself?"

"No," Sabo says, frigid. "I'm not implying you aren't capable. I'm implying you don't know when to give up and back away. Also, it is very well known you have a personal vendetta against Whitebeard. You'll take it too far."

"Then what do we do?" Ace explodes. Sabo decides that Ace is never going to back down, and goes with a compromise.

"Let me handle this. We negotiate for what we need, and if they break down, we wait. Bide our time. Move when it's safest and easiest. Trust me on this one."

"Fine," Ace says, knowing Sabo is just as stubborn.

"What are you guys talking about?" Luffy asks, wide eyes staring up at them.

"Nothing."

"Are we going to fight Whitebeard now?"

Sabo sighs. "Yes." Luffy cheers, arms stretching to grab onto the railing of their boat docked against the shore. The two older brothers eyes widen, realizing what he's about to do.

"NOOOOO!" Too late. With the snapping sound of contracting rubber, Ace and Sabo are catapulted onto the deck with Luffy, landing in a crumpled heap under his skinny frame. Sabo groans.

"By the way," Luffy asks quizzically, "Who's Whitebeard?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A small chapter leading up to the big fight. Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed. You guys are awesome.**

 **bloodytears87- To clear up the confusion, Ace is seventeen, close to eighteen because this is in August, and so is Sabo. Luffy is fourteen, following canon, so sadly will not be taking the spotlight just yet.**

 **SpadianTimeMage- I'm going to give myself a headache attempting to think up epithets for both Luffy and Ace.**

* * *

It's a perfect day, Sabo reflects, the sky a robin's egg blue that does little to soothe his nerves. Their ship, the ASL, (blame Ace's creativity), rocked gently over the waves, steadily making its way to the island Whitebeard was reported to be on. His few crew members ignore him, going through their routine tasks to keep the ship on course. Rubbing a thumb over the scratched and dented metal of his staff, he watches the sea ripple, remembering when he was younger and this was his dream. Now it pales next to Luffy's…problem. Sabo hates thinking of it as a disability, because it really doesn't impede his fighting at all. Most of the time, at least.

A blur of red distracts him from his thoughts. Luffy flies out of the kitchen, barreling into him and tackling him to the ground. Sabo gasps as all the breath gets knocked out of him but doesn't even get a chance to retaliate as Luffy takes off again, his apparent "one tackle per day" quota filled.

"Sorry, Sabo!" Luffy shouts, ducking down into the hold. All his questions are answered when he sees Ace storm out the kitchen, covered head to toe in flour. Darius, their cook, trails behind him like a disgruntled puppy.

"Luffy! I'm going to kill you!"

"Shishishishi!"

Ace has grabbed Luffy by the collar when their navigator cries out,

"I see it!"

Ace drops Luffy immediately, rushing to see for himself, Sabo follows, Luffy picking himself off the ground and catapulting to the figure head. The island seems to be a spring or a summer one, crystal waves brushing against an expansive beach dotted with trees. Luffy jumps up and down, as enthusiastic as usual at the prospect of a fight. Sabo thinks he can see the mast of Whitebeard flagship- apparently named Moby Dick, according to his contacts.

Ace grins, feral, and Sabo pulls on his gloves. Time for business.


	3. Chapter 3

**You know the last chapter, when I kind of promised a fight? Sorry about that. I'm not really confident if I got all the characters right, because Luffy is seriously so hard to write. Just a warning, I may not update for the entirety of winter break because I'm going on vacation. Also, Luffy is going to be a bit more mature in this story, due to past incidents coupled with the fact that he set out to sea earlier. Thanks for reading!**

Their ship docks on shore, and the trio stride onto the sandy beach, Sabo's staff propped over one shoulder. The mast of a ship juts confidently out into the air over the forest like a flag, almost as if marking this island as the Whitebeards and the Whitebeards' alone. Ace whistles appreciatively.

"I guess that's where we're headed," he says, and in that moment, they are no longer Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, but the Bloody Gentleman, Fire Fist, and the Ghost. (Ace had always been annoyed that Sabo and even Luffy had more "badass" titles than he did, but was defeated by logic when Sabo said that was because he went around flaunting his fighting style too much.)

"Here," Sabo says, tossing a bundle of black fabric to Luffy. He pouts as he catches it, the edge of the cloth brushing the ground.

"I can't fight with this!"

"Shut up," Sabo says, exasperated to be having this conversation at least for the hundredth time. "You're the one who insists to remain a secret because don't want this," he gestures wildly, " to give you a head start when you go off on your own!"

Soon, the cloak is draped haphazardly over Luffy's shoulders, and with the cowl shading his eyes, he almost looks like his father. Minus the red tattoos, of course, and Dragon most certainly doesn't have the tip of a straw hat poking out of the dark fabric of _his_ cloak. Sabo can feel Luffy's frown from seven paces away. Ace steps forward, but Sabo stops him.

"Diplomatic mission, remember?"

Ace rolls his eyes but relents, letting him take the lead, his eyes promising murder if this ever happens again. The forest is friendly in the noonday sun, scattered patches of light brightening the trees and filtering through the leaves. Sabo swings his pipe, clearing away the vines, and Luffy, who seems to have recovered from his momentary disappointment, follows with a customary bounce in his step. As the forest thins, the trio can see glimpses of a giant white ship, carved like the head of a whale, and people swarming about, unloading wooden crates and barrels onto the sand. Sabo stops.

"Ready?" He asks, and Ace and Luffy nod. Sabo wipes all emotions clean off his face, fully adopting the persona of the Bloody Gentleman. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Ace doing the same thing and Luffy pulling the cowl farther out to more effectively hide the bulge caused by his hat. They share a glance. Simultaneously, they step out onto the clearing. A few of the pirates jump, and a hiss is heard as weapons are collectively drawn from their sheaths. _Quite a large number,_ Sabo thinks. _And most of them have the look of experienced fighters. If we go up against them, we might win, but we certainly won't come out unscathed. And we still have the division commanders and Whitebeard himself to worry about._

Nobody makes a move, before a man with an open purple shirt, sandals, and a mop of blonde hair approaches them, Whitebeards mark displayed on his chest for the world to see. Marco the Phoenix, Sabo thinks, description completely accurate, up to those droopy eyes and ridiculous hairstyle. He narrows his eyes at the trio. Sabo doesn't blame him. They aren't the most…friendly looking individuals, and their reputation precedes them.

"How may I help you?" He asks, voice the picture of courtesy, muscles relaxed.

"We would like to speak with your captain," Sabo says, just as cordial, as if they were discussing the weather. The Phoenix's stance shifts, more guarded, more alert, and Sabo can feel Ace and Luffy instinctively moving to a more defensive position, slightly backwards and to the sides.

"What for?" He asks.

"We would like to bargain," Sabo replies. "We swear on our honor as pirates that we will not attack any of your crew members or your captain," his eyes narrow, "unless provoked." He rests his hand on his pipe meaningfully.

"All right." The Phoenix nods. "Come with me, Bloody Gentleman." He turns to Ace and Luffy. "Fire Fist. Ghost." Sabo can't say the Whitebeards don't have an impressive information gathering system.

Every eye is on them as the Phoenix leads them onto their ship.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back! Thanks to everyone who waited. Happy New Year, everyone! Sorry if it wasn't that great, but I'm suffering from sleep deprivation and jet lag, so this is the best I can do. Anyways, things are heating up in this story, and I have some action planned.**

The afternoon sunlight streams through the frosted windows, illuminating a not often seen sight- the Three Elder Stars, not alone, but the top officers of Marine HQ standing in a semicircle in front of them, faces set.

"We have discovered the identity of the Leviathan Experiment."

Looks of loosely masked interest appear on many faces, and over their buzzing anticipation, no one notices the shoulders of Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp and his hands clasp tighter behind his back.

"Our sources suggest that the Leviathan is now masquerading as the Ghost."

This is obviously news to most, if not all, and Akainu, among others, does not even bother to hide their glee. The Vice Admiral and Marine Hero doesn't lift his eyes off the pristine floor tiles, which is just as well, because then nobody can see the dark inferno of anger and worry fueling the flames of something not quite within his range of control.

* * *

The Phoenix steers them across the deck, and the brothers can easily recognize Whitebeard, even over the throng of pirates flanking him. Although hooked up to a machine and obviously getting on in years, he is as intimidating as the stories say, the giant bisento leaning against his throne proof of that. Sabo's boots reverberate on the wood of the ship, and judging by the echoes, the Moby is at least five layers deep, probably more. His fingers brush against each other in a soft and subtle movement.

 _Remember. Do not let down your guard._ The message is received, and Luffy and Ace tighten their defenses, scanning the ship for all possible escape routes and weapons while maintaining a deceptively easy stance. They come to a stop in front of Whitebeard, and if Sabo guesses correctly, the twelve people standing by him are all commanders, going by power level. They're very much a strange group, with a cross-dresser and a half diamond man among their number, not counting Whitebeard himself, who towers at twice or thrice normal height. The trio has to crane their heads to be able to hold a conversation with Whitebeard properly, due to his immense size.

"So you brats want an audience with me?" His voice is deep, fitting his physical appearance perfectly.

"Correct. But more specifically, we would like an audience with one of your crew."

Whitebeard raises an eyebrow and lets out a booming laugh. "Cheeky brats. So who is it?"

"One Marshall D Teach. "

"Second Division, huh? Talk to Marco about that. He's in charge of the second division for now." Sabo suppresses the urge to sigh. They're right back where they started.

"Thank you."

"Gurarararara! No questions?"

Luffy raises his hand, cloak slipping off his sleeve, and Sabo's hand twitches with the need to facepalm. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ace giving in, palm colliding with forehead in a resounding smack. Whitebeard's eyes glint.

"Yes, brat?"

"Isn't that a mustache?"

Whitebeard pauses, as if he has never considered this before. Marco sighs, and motions to them. "I'll take you to Teach."

Whitebeard watches the odd quartet disappear below deck, all of them tense as if just waiting for an attack, and he muses,

"I want them."

His commanders only shake their heads ruefully, by now accustomed to their captain's whims.

Luffy's ears pick up the words, but there is no hostile intent accompanying them, so he picks apart the statement, finds the meaning behind them, and he thinks,

 _you can try_. _But I make no promises._

In his own room, Marshall D Teach unties the string to his envelope, leering at what he sees inside before folding it again and carefully erasing the Marine HQ stamp. It wouldn't do to have his lovely crewmates suspicious of him, would it? Would completely ruin the mission. He is just about to scribble down a quick reply when he hears a knock on the door, the sharp rap that signals a commander's presence. The second division member shoves the envelope under his pillow and answers the door, and he can't suppress a predatory smirk at the sight of who was waiting behind that hunk of wood.

"Ghost. Bloody Gentleman. Fire Fist. Commander. What brings you here?"

It appears that he would have to make a few changes to the return letter. He begins to rewrite his reply in his head. Of course, for such precious information about ASL and subsequently the Ghost's whereabouts, he deserved a reward, didn't he? An island or two, a couple favors...

Luffy frowned. Something felt…off about this situation, and he alerts his brothers to this with a subtle tensing of wiry muscles. His brothers make a gesture of affirmation, trusting their brother with this. Animal instincts, after all.

"Hello, Marshall D Teach. I believe you have something we need." Sabo speaks first, as he does for anything involving diplomacy, thanking the skies that Ace hasn't set anything on fire and Luffy hasn't destroyed anything. Yet.

"Of course. Come in. I think I know exactly what you're after, and I've already thought of a bargain."

Sabo raises an eyebrow, but steps inside the cluttered room, Ace and Luffy beside him.

"I'll wait outside, yoi." The Phoenix says, and closes the door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for everyone who read and reads this! Short chapter this time, but you won't be kept hanging for long. Happy Late New Year, everyone!**

 **SpadianTimeMage- I had an awesome vacation. And my cliffhangers aren't intentional, you know. Most of the time. :-)**

 **SakuraHD- Teach will get what's coming to him eventually. I'm looking forward to it so, so much.**

 **StarliteOracle- Bad feelings are right when it comes to Teach.**

 **Wera- Thanks!**

 **Anon- Glad you enjoyed! I'm actually having a lot of fun writing it.**

 **BlueChains- Thank you! I have a lot more planned for this year.**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys are awesome.**

Once the door shuts behind them, all semblance of cool, distant courtesy melts away. The brothers stand, gazes intense and piercing, and Teach smiles to himself. He could have fun with these three.

"As you know, this thing you want that I have is no cheap market item." The brother in the middle, blond haired and scarred, nods tightly, and the one with the cowboy hat glares, fire beginning to flare on his shoulders.

"Of course," the blond one returns smoothly. "What would you suggest?"

"As I said: A bargain." The cowboy hat one snorts, and tells him,

"Cut to the chase, we're not getting any younger here."

"I'll tell you. All I need is your brother's" he points to the Ghost, "head. Separate from the rest of his body or not." The brothers snarl, and Fire Fist's - aptly named- hands flicker into flames. The Bloody Gentleman whips out his pipe, one rippling movement almost too fast to see, and rests it at against his neck. He swallows. Even with a certainty of making it through this little confrontation, these three are _intimidating_. It takes a few seconds to regain his composure before Teach smirks, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Protective, I see. Much as I want to, I can't, however, because I really don't want Whitebeard against me because I killed one of his precious guests." He punctuates this thought with an offhand shrug. "So I settled for something else."

"Tell us." The Bloody Gentleman's voice is frigid, crystallized with a layer of frost, and the pipe doesn't waver from his neck, but instead jabs a little harder.

"Your head. And Fire Fist's." He can see the Bloody Gentleman's knuckles turning white, and Fire Fist is seething, the oath they made not to hurt any of the Whitebeards obviously the only thing keeping them from disemboweling him and tossing him into the ocean. And then laughing about it while a Sea King tears him apart.

"One thing." The Bloody Gentleman says, something feral curling at the tip of his smile. "Do not threaten my brothers." Fire Fist shrugs, clenching his fists experimentally.

"Sure. Threaten me. I would love to destroy him." The Bloody Gentleman ignores his brother and turns back to Teach.

"Any other-" he is cut off abruptly when a sword comes whistling towards his head, and is forced to duck. His eyes widen fractionally as he realizes what has happened. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Teach dances away from the pipe at his neck, and takes a mocking bow.

"Why you," Fire Fist growls, and the brothers spring into action.

* * *

Marco is leaning against the wood of the ship, suppressing the urge to eavesdrop on the trio and Teach's conversation when a plume of fire bursts out of the room they were in, setting the hallway ablaze. The Ghost sprints out of the burning room, heading to the deck and open air, twisting away from the hand Marco reaches out to grab him with, his two fellow captains nowhere to be seen. Ash streaks his cloak, and he seems to not notice Marco, getting to his brothers obviously the first thing on his mind.

The Phoenix gives up with that plan of action and runs to the room that the four were in, coughing through the thick black smoke, cursing when he sees a charred hole burnt through the ceiling. They probably headed onto deck, where there was more room to attempt to murder each other. It would take too long to run, and he isn't as fast as the Ghost, so he does a half transformation and flies up to the top layer of the Moby, his own regenerative fire shielding him from burning wood. What greets him is chaos.

Fire everywhere, his crewmates unable to trespass what appears to be a circle of flame surrounding Teach, Fire Fist, the Bloody Gentleman, and the Ghost. How the kid managed to get onto deck faster than he did was anyone's guess. The commanders race to him, lead by Whitebeard, who doesn't seem to know anymore than he does concerning what happened between those four.

"You go in there," Izo demands.

"Why me, yoi?"

"You're the only one fire resistant!"

"That doesn't mean I want to get torched!" he shoots back, but reluctantly complies with his fellow commander's request.

Sighing, Marco takes flight, dropping down between Teach and the trio, who are glaring at each other with more than a little animosity.

"What's going on, yoi?"

Teach points his finger at the Bloody Gentleman and the trio point their fingers at Teach.

"He started it," they say simultaneously. Marco narrows his eyes.

"What?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone! I'm back again. As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, following, you know. Longer chapter this time, by the way.  
**

 **Kerennie- Thanks! Here's the chapter:)**

 **BlackthornAshe- I'm glad you enjoyed. And I hope you had a wonderful Late New Year!**

 **SarakuHD- I agree, 100%. Teach needs to burn.**

 **SpadianTimeMage- I dedicate this cliffhanger to you :)**

The circle of flame around them flares, and Marco can feel the fire inching closer, creeping over the wooden deck. Part of his mind is already totaling just how much repairs are going to cost, and he resists the urge to groan. If this isn't stopped, the whole ship might burn down.

"Fire Fist, extinguish the flames."

"No thanks!"

"We can work something out. Just extinguish the flames."

Fire Fist turns to face him, (and probably attempt to punch him into the ocean), but is stopped by a warning hand on his shoulder. The Bloody Gentleman speaks instead, which Marco is infinitely grateful for.

"Agreed. We will all sit down _nicely_ ," he says, glaring at his brother, who shrugs sheepishly "and we will come to a compromise that does not involve _violence_." Marco isn't fooled. As pacifying as his words are, he can see the tensed muscles in his neck which suggests that if said compromise fails, he'll have no problem kidnapping Teach just to get what they want.

"Extinguish the flames," Marco demands, sighing. This was worse than the time a Sea King decided the ship would make good food. He sincerely felt sorry for their shipwrights.

"About that, there's a little problem." The Bloody Gentleman begins, shooting a glare at Fire Fist, who mouths something back angrily.

"What?" Marco can feel a migraine begin to prickle at the back of his head.

"Well, my brother kind of let go of the fire? So it's not really part of him anymore. He can't extinguish it, because his power doesn't include being able to control fire, exactly." Fire Fist graces him with a blindingly mocking smile.

Marco is fighting a losing battle against the urge to scream.

* * *

It takes two hours, the entire crew, and countless buckets of water to extinguish the fire, and by that point, half of the deck is a charred mess, and crewmates are frantically racing back to their rooms to make sure that none of their valuables got burnt. The trio, Marco, Whitebeard, and Teach are seated in the captain's quarters, the brothers leveling glares at anyone who looks at them sideways.

"So, just what happened back there?"

* * *

Luffy is straining, and he's trying to pay attention, but this messy talking just goes around in circles, and it's so tiring. This is not his idea of an adventure. The only thing remotely exciting was the fight back there, and Luffy didn't even get to participate in it. He tugs on his cloak, irritated. Speaking of the fight…he looks at the man. Teach, Pineapple called him. He doesn't feel right, and his presence sends tingles up Luffy's spine.

"They attacked me first," Teach says. Luffy nearly shouts with indignation. He opens his mouth to say that no, it was him who threatened Sabo first and Sabo would never break a promise, but Ace's hand moves, just a bit. _Stop_ , he signs, and Luffy settles back down, still burning with righteous fury.

"As I recall, we had a vow, did we not?" Whitebeard asked, anger brimming underneath a mask of calm.

"We did," Sabo says.

"Then do you truly not value your honor as pirates?" Marco bursts out.

"We do," Sabo retorts. "We didn't break the vow." Whitebeard contemplates for a moment, thinking back, then turns expectantly to Marco.

"We will not attack any of your crewmates unless provoked," Marco remembers. His eyes narrow. "So you're saying that Teach provoked you, yoi." The doubt is obvious in his voice. The reputation of the ASL trio don't paint them in a particularly good light, after all. Certainly less trustworthy than Teach.

Sabo smiles, perfectly pleasant but hiding layers of malice and bitterness. "He threatened my brothers." All present can hear the lingering possessiveness in his tone. Luffy feels a burst of warmth and smiles happily, leaning back on his hands, and he can see Ace's eyes softening a bit.

"Go on, yoi" Marco says, wishing he had another cup of coffee.

"So I gave him…a warning."

"He means he held a pipe to my neck," Teach grumbles, before being silenced by a harsh look from Marco and a reprimanding one from Whitebeard.

"And he threatened us again. And then he attempted to decapitate me."

Marco pushes past his headache. It seems like the Bloody Gentleman was telling the truth, but then again, the Bloody Gentleman was a master of manipulation. Teach was an excellent liar. Maybe one of the Bloody Gentleman's his brothers would be more transparent.

"I would like it confirmed by one of your brothers, yoi."

The three brothers share a look.

"It's true," Fire Fist says, and that's good enough for Marco, for now, at least. Teach is going to have to explain his own side of the story later, when he no longer feels like a sledgehammer is pounding his skull in.

"Now can we get back to the negotiation at hand?" The Bloody Gentleman asks.

"Fine, yoi." Marco says. "But first I think we have a right to know. Just what are you negotiating for?" The brothers stiffen, this topic obviously not one they wish to breach.

"It's fine," The Bloody Gentleman tells his brothers, and Marco has the distinct feeling something passed between them and over the heads of everyone else listening. "We're negotiating for Devil Fruit serum."

"Wait, what?" Marco is completely astounded. "For one thing, that's a Marine HQ and Vegapunk product, you know. Very rare. Only the Admirals have it and only the Three Elder Stars can allow people to use it." Marco shakes his head. _And Pops wants these three psychos to join the crew_. Then he remembers. "Wait. More importantly, why do _you_ have it?" He asks, rounding on Teach.

"Black market," Teach says noncommittally. _Marine HQ_ , he thinks, and smirks.

"Marco," Whitebeard says, "technically that's within regulations."

"Let's get down to this, shall we?" The Bloody Gentleman says, the light glinting off his eyes, and the look he gives Teach conveys something Marco and Whitebeard can't see. "Teach?"

"I actually have another offer," Teach says. "It's a package of three- I want one favor, that I will name later, one item that you three have, and I want you to stay on this ship for three months."

"Three months?" Fire Fist splutters, completely dumbfounded.

"What item?" The Bloody Gentleman asks, and the air practically crackles as they lock eyes and don't break away. Fire Fist snaps back into attention and the Ghost tilts his head to look at the exchange.

"The Devil Fruit you have. Light purple, round, teardrops with swirls." Something shifts in the Bloody Gentleman's eyes, a spark of understanding, perhaps, and Teach smiles, all teeth and purely self satisfied, like a cat who has finally gotten its cream. "The Yami Yami no Mi, the Dark Dark Fruit."

 **Whew. I was seriously nervous whether I should do this or not, because this will probably fall flat on its face and die. Oh well. I don't plan for this to break that far away from canon, even though it kind of looks like it's going to become an AU. Luffy will still have his own pirate crew, etc. But then again, I'm more or less making this up as I go, so who knows?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Let the fun begin! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **kerennie- Thanks! The support means a lot. :) The favour will probably be revealed in the next chapter or so. Everything is slowly unfolding.**

 **Strange-Moonlight-Charm- Yeah, maybe I will make it an AU...it might be interesting. I could fit in a lot more evil plans... Anyways, thanks for reviewing!**

 **StarliteOracle- Here I present you with more manipulation. Double sided manipulation! Manipulation showering down from the sky! Those poor Whitebeards don't know what hit them XD. Sabo is as good of a manipulator as Teach, so I'd say they're evenly matched.**

"Absolutely not," Sabo declares. Teach's grin fades a little, and he raises an eyebrow.

"Then the deal is off," he says grimly.

"It's because we don't have the fruit," Sabo says, and Ace smirks at that, as he figures out what Sabo is planning. "But we do know where it is."

"Good, then. What about this. You lead me to the Devil Fruit, do me a favor, and stay, hmm, five months on the Moby." He glances at Whitebeard and the Phoenix. "If you agree, of course."

Ace's brain freezes. "Five MONTHS? Are you kidding me? That's half a year!"

"Nope, I'm not kidding," Teach says happily. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Sabo about to agree to this ridiculous proposal, Luffy doesn't seem very off put by the idea either, and Whitebeard merely looks thoughtful. He needs to interfere, now. Ace grabs Sabo's shirtsleeve with one hand and Luffy's cloak with the other.

"Hey!" Sabo exclaims, disgruntled, and Luffy jerks in surprise.

"Excuse us, we're going to discuss this outside the room," he says, and hauls them out, Sabo's pipe bumping along the deck. He stops, dumping them outside.

"No way are we staying here for five months just for this Teach's Devil Fruit serum!" he hisses, trying not to draw attention. Sabo pauses in readjusting his clothes, fixing him with expressionless gaze.

"Yes way," he deadpans. Ace groans.

"Just find someone else who has it!"

"I could," Sabo agrees, "If the other people that have it didn't happen to be Big Mom and the Admirals." Ace feels his jaw drop.

"Can we just take it from one of the Admirals? Please? Or Big Mom?" Sabo gives him a glare that says, _seriously?_ and Ace deflates. Luffy is motioning frantically with his hands.

"See? Luffy wants to!" Luffy nods at the speed of a hummingbird's heartbeat.

"Luffy's suicidal. Both of you are suicidal. Sorry Luffy, but if Ace dies, it'll no longer be an adventure." Luffy nods sagely. "We're all in agreement." Sabo marches back into the room, Luffy bouncing beside him.

"No, we're not!" Ace hurries back in before the door can slam into his face.

"I've spoken with Pops," the Phoenix begins, "and he agrees to the offer."

"So," Teach says. "Do you accept?"

"We do," Sabo says. As if in slow motion, his brother shakes hands with Teach, and Ace's fate is sealed. Grins spread on both Sabo and Teach's face, one devious, one full of malice.

"Done," Teach sits back down, and Sabo does too, opposite of him. The Phoenix stands up.

"I'll show you to your," he glances at his captain, "temporary residence." Whitebeard nods, and he makes his way out of the room. _Sabo, I am going to kill you._

* * *

The deck is devoid of life, which makes sense- it's only two in the morning, after all. The only source of light are the glass lamps hooked to the side of the ship, flickering tongues of light warring with the shadows. Sabo senses figures, though, not wandering, but scouring the ship in patterns. Night watch. Sensible for such a big ship, but makes their job a little harder. Talking about his job…he sneaks a look at Ace. Not good. He's staring straight ahead and muttering darkly, no doubt cursing under his breath. The Phoenix leads them to a stair that goes below deck, and opens the fourth door on the left.

"Here you go, yoi."

"Thank you," Sabo says, and the door shuts with a click. A lock. The walls seem pretty soundproof too. It's a medium sized room, four beds, a bathroom. The tension melts from his frame, and he collapses on the wood, Ace doing the same. Luffy tears off his cloak, making a noise of content, which stops short as his stomach growls.

"Ah, I'm hungry. Is there any meat?"

Ace ignores him in favor of pouncing on Sabo. "You idiot!"

"You're the idiot!"

"I'm going to-"

Whatever he was going to say is muffled as Luffy jumps on them, Ace barely rolling out of the way of a rubbery foot. Before any of them can get a word in edgewise, Luffy is already asleep and snoring. The two older brothers shrug before Sabo has to leap out of the way of Ace's burning fist of flaming doom.

"Don't destroy the ship!" When has Ace ever listened to him? He has to duck as a plume of fire nearly turns him into cooked chicken. "Wait, wait, wait! Let me explain." Ace has one fist cocked back, ready to pummel him into oblivion. He casts a longing glance at Luffy, who has somehow managed to sleep through it all sprawled on the floor.

"Since Teach agreed to it so easily when it could have been a trick, we can assume he had an ulterior motive to having us stay on the ship. It probably has something to do with being able to see us at all times." Ace stops, and glances at Luffy.

"I don't trust him," he states bluntly. "I don't like him, either."

"Neither do I," Sabo agrees, "Especially since Luffy doesn't. But listen. You know we can get off this ship whenever we want, right? The Moby Dick has to make landfall at least once a month, with so many people on board. And, adding to that," he smirks, "it's never too safe for a little spywork. The Moby has plenty of vents and little passageways, and we're _pirates_ , for heaven's sake."

Ace smirks back at him, and Sabo knows he understands.

* * *

"I don't understand, yoi!" Marco says, throwing his hands up in the air. "I keep getting the feeling that we missed something in that conversation, but I can't for the life of me figure it out."

Whitebeard puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Marco."

"Thanks. But what if this turns out horribly? What if ASL assassinates a crew member? We know next to nothing about them, especially the Ghost. We don't even know what he looks like, because of that cloak he always wears. He doesn't say anything, either. And…I don't know, but he feels…strange. Not exactly bad, or bloodthirsty, but strange."

Whitebeard adopts a concerned expression, and Marco knows he's thinking.

"If they turn out to be trouble, I think the Whitebeards are more than equipped to handle them."

And with that, all Marco's fears are put to rest.

"Thanks, yoi."

* * *

Marshall D Teach, soon to become Blackbeard, sits in the half shadow of his writing desk, pen making a scratching sound on the paper.

 _Admiral, I have persuaded the ASL trio to reside temporarily at Whitebeard's ship. I, too, am extremely curious as to the nature of these mysterious pirates, and I assure you, I will not leave you hanging as to the identity of this threat. Remember our agreement. Five months, and you will get your glory._

 _-Blackbeard_

* * *

"Admiral Akainu?" A private asks nervously.

"What is it?" he growls, and he the Marine visibly shrinks.

"S-sir, I received a message for you thi-this morning."

"Well, then?" The shaking Marine hands him a letter with trembling fingers.

"Dismissed," he says sharply, and he hears the weakling scrambling away. Eagerly, he tears open the envelope and devours its contents.

 _Five months...I can wait that long._


	8. Chapter 8

**This feels kind of more lighthearted than the previous chapters, and the cliffhanger for this one is minor, too. Side effects of the Leviathan Experiment will come into play soon.  
**

 **Strange-Moonlight-Charm- Yes, the dictatorship of canon cannot stop us! Mwahahaha! Sabo will always be smarter than Teach, however, so the little trio should be fine. Can't say the same for the Whitebeards, their peaceful ship will not be peaceful much longer with this double backstabbing going on. :)**

 **SpadianTimeMage- I'm loosening up a bit on the cliffhangers. Soon, you will see the true power of manipulating Sabo as he jerks the Whitebeards, Teach and the entire Marine force around like rag dolls. Nothing compares with Luffy's kicked puppy eyes, though. Yeah, I think this is canon-divergence.**

 **kerennie- Thanks! Well, this isn't quite what you asked for, but I hope it's good enough and you enjoyed it.**

"Please, enlighten me," Sabo groans as he stumbles along the hallway, dragging a sleeping Luffy by the back of his cloak, "why are we doing this?" Ace gives him a smug little smile that tells him he walked into whatever this torturous early morning activity is. Luffy looks at him with drooping eyes and tugs on his sleeve petulantly.

"Meat…"

"Not now! And I told you. Sign, don't speak." Ace hisses back at them, ducking into a tiny claustrophobic corridor.

"Ace, it's four in the morning." Sabo says, attempting to stay patient. He really, really, really wants coffee. "Why are we doing reconnaissance now?" His brother looks at him like he's stupid.

"'Cause then nobody will be awake- ack!" His brother gives an undignified yelp as he collides with another body, and Sabo has to clap a hand over Luffy's mouth to stifle the surprised giggles, which really makes him look like he's kidnapping him. Ace looks up and leaps back as if the person standing in front of him was covered in fish guts. Marco the Phoenix raises an eyebrow, but the atmosphere is quickly dissolved when he opens his mouth to yawn.

"What are you doing, yoi?" He asks when he regains his composure. Sabo is about to step in with a timely excuse, but is beaten to it by Ace.

"…Looking for the washroom!" Ace bursts out, and Sabo barely manages to hold back a groan.

"Really, now." The Phoenix looks skeptical, and Sabo really doesn't blame him. "There was a washroom in your room."

"Well, then," Ace says, cheeks flushing, "we'll go back now?" He somehow makes it sound like a question, and Sabo shoves him out of the way before he can do even more damage to their reputation. That pathetic excuse of a lie was practically screaming suspicious.

"Thank you, Phoenix, but we'll be taking our leave now." Leaving the Phoenix in the middle of the corridor, he stalks back into their room, senses telling him his brothers are trailing a half step behind. He closes the door carefully, looking up and down the hallway.

"Next time, Ace, just take care of beating up our enemies. You're really not cut out for this."

* * *

Marshall D Teach, alias Blackbeard, creeps along the main deck, the rigging casting eerie shadows on the deck. He had deduced that the ASL trio were being housed in the starboard side of the ship, and since the front of that area was the Commander's living quarters, well, he had a pretty good idea of where they were. He descends the stairs slowly, cautiously, the lambent firelight glinting off the metal device he holds in his hand, the steel cool and light. He feels his waist for his weapons, just in case. Sword, check. Guns, check. Hearing muffled voices emanating from the closed door on his right, he presses the device to the uneven wood.

It beeps once, flashing red, and the recording begins.

Hopefully this would be enough to satisfy that power hungry Admiral until he can get something a bit more substantial. Say, a picture of the Ghost's face, perhaps, or a recorded conversation.

* * *

Monkey D Garp, father of Monkey D Dragon and grandfather of Monkey D Luffy paces the length of his room, biting his lip worriedly, shined shoes tap tapping on the bamboo floor. He isn't privy to at least half of the Navy and the World Government's secret plans, and even the little he heard was enough to make him anxious. Spies, Cipher Pol, the Admirals, entire fleets of battleships dispatched into the New World. It was enough to make anybody nervous, actually. Making a decision as he passes by his desk again, he picks up the file sitting innocently on the coarse wood. It looks thick, papers bursting out of the seams of the folder, news clippings and black and white photographs spilling out of his hands.

And all of it is on his grandsons. Apprehensively, he opens the binder, hard to suppress curiosity bubbling up in his throat. It begins with their bounties, ridiculously large for their age, but then again, it did say they were twenty three and twenty on their official papers. The Ghost only has a rough hand drawn picture, but the proportions are accurate, depicting his grandson's long limbs, slim waist, and skinny frame quite well, the cloak he always wears half in shadow.

Taking into account his grandson's recklessness, it was a surprise the disguise had actually worked as long as it had. No doubt his brothers had forced him into it. The thought made him think a little wistfully of the days when he could still give his grandsons the old Fist of Love and Ace and Sabo would jump in front of Luffy to "protect him." Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turns back to the folder. The other two posters have photos, the one of Ace showing him leaping, shoulders and hands aflame and a rakish grin on his face, clutching his hat. Sabo had been wearing a scowl at the time the picture was taken, gloved hands tightly gripping his pipe and in a defensive stance.

A grin springs unbidden onto his lips, and he restrains the urge to laugh. They look exactly the same as the last time he saw them, still wild and unrepentant, ready to face the world. The grin quickly diminishes as he sees the neatly folded papers behind the bounties, and his fingers clench the rough paper. The background information on the Leviathan Experiment. He skims through the information sheet- Sengoku had informed him already- and grimaces when he reaches the profile on the Leviathan, detailed charts mapping the exact progress of the experiment. There's a picture of Luffy, small, a snarl spanning his face, a small puncture mark one his neck, barely visible. Seastone cuffs are locked on his ankles, but he looks cleaner than he had ever been in his early childhood.

 _Nine year old, male_ , the profile reads. _Devil Fruit user, demonstrates a type of stretching ability._

The information is curt and to the point, blank and emotionless. It is simply another report, another chart for another experiment, and the researchers will treat it like such. Garp almost admires the World Government for its detached efficiency. Almost.

* * *

At a lull in the conversation the ASL trio were having, Teach gathers up the device and leaves, just as the red of dawn was peeking over the horizon. He has to admit, he was doing better at this espionage thing than he had expected.

Sabo lets out a sigh of relief as soon as the footsteps fade into the distance, Ace and Luffy flopping onto the floor.

"My throat hurts," Luffy croaks, reaching out feebly before falling limply onto the floor again.

"Next time, can we just not say anything?" Ace moans, and starts to say something, before being cut off by a round of coughing.

"Then whoever was at the door would have been suspicious," Sabo points out.

"We could just pretend we were sleeping."

"Too late for that. We only noticed there was somebody there when he was right up against our door. We're relaxing too much," Sabo says. "It's a good thing we learned how to disguise our voices, you know. That should throw them off track for a bit."

"Easy for you to say."

There's a sharp rap on the door, and they all stiffen. "At least they couldn't have heard Luffy," Ace whispers. Sabo stands up, rumples his clothes, and adopts a just-woke-up expression. Carefully, he unlocks the door to reveal Marco the Phoenix standing in the doorway, hand still poised to knock. He drops it back down by his side.

"We're starting breakfast, yoi" he says politely, "so we were wondering if you'd like to join us. We'll be leaving the island in about three hours."

FOOD! Luffy signs.

"Sorry, but we would like to go back to our ship to get our things, if you don't mind. We'll just eat there," Sabo explains, and the Phoenix nods, looking almost…disappointed?

"Of course. Sorry to bother you, yoi."

Sabo sweeps out of the room with as much elegance as he can muster, raising a hand to the Phoenix, flanked by his brothers. He climbs the stairs to the deck of the Moby Dick, flexing his fingers, and grins as he sees all the pirates' gazes swivel to them. He exchanges a look with his brothers, and smirks, measuring the distance to land in his mind. First impressions are important, but so are dramatic exits and entrances. They already did quite well with the latter, so the trio needs to live up to expectation.

"Er," the Phoenix says, "don't you wa-"

Whatever he was about to say is cut off as the brothers leap off the edge of the ship, hands holding onto their hats, the Ghosts' cloak flapping in the air, revealing sandals and tanned skin.

Marco gapes for a second before transforming, the sensation sending tingles up his spine. The ocean is right below them and Fire Fist's a _Devil Fruit user_! Then his eyes open wide as Fire Fist sends a controlled burst of fire shooting down below them, propelling them up and over the rocky shore. The brothers land, crouched, before continuing to run, specters disappearing into the forest, as if they didn't just jump from a height that could've killed them if the landing was handled improperly or Fire Fist didn't time his flames right. His own blue flames recede, and he is left staring at the glittering ocean, wondering if taking them in, even for a while, would eventually cause him a heart attack. It probably would.


	9. Chapter 9

**And I broke the one chapter per day streak. Unfortunately, updates are going to be scarcer from now on, more like once or twice a week. And- 100 people are following this. 100. I think I'm in shock right now. Thank you all so much! As always, thanks for reading! Especially, thanks for reviewing. You readers are awesome.  
**

 **forever122- Thanks! Umm, 18, 18, and 15 I think, although it should say in an earlier chapter.**

 **kerennie- thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, Luffy is the type to do that kind of thing. (Luffy doesn't really fit in any sort of classification, though.) :)**

 **ar111- Here's the next chapter!**

 **BlueChains- And just as you review that…I'm really sorry. I'll try to keep updates frequent though! Have a nice day too.**

 **Strange-Moonlight-Charm- Yup, Sabo is going to be running circles around them. I laughed so hard at the Whitebeards ripping their hair out part, though, just imagine Marco, Thatch, and the others bald (and Teach too, since he's technically a Whitebeard. I hope the Leviathan Experiment won't disappoint.**

 **Travesti- time for the dramatic organ music! Ah, the writer has much planned…not everything will be as innocent anymore… I may be over-dramatizing things here.**

 **Arxhaeologist- I hope I did your name right…anyway. Thanks so much for the praise! It really makes my day. I hope it lives up to its potential. Yup, epithets make everything cooler. I'll try to take the character development slow- I'm enjoying it and I really don't want to rush. :)**

 **Guest1- thanks! I'm glad you think so.**

 **Guest2- Thanks! And please, don't strain yourself. Keep healthy. :)**

Ace is gasping in laughter, and the strain of suppressing his giggles makes Luffy's eyes water. Sabo isn't much better.

"His _face_!" Ace chokes out, amidst overwhelming hysteria. Sabo shakes his head. His brothers will never really change, no matter what happens. The trio burst out the clearing to be greeted by a welcome sight- their small (for the New World) ship, sails flapping in the breeze, bobbing up and down in the water. Their flag flutters playfully, catching the salty sea air. One of their crew members is lying on the deck, soaking up the early morning sun. He hears them approach and leaps to his feet, expecting an attack, but the intense expression quickly dissolves into friendly respect as he sees them. He waves.

"Welcome back, captains," he says, nonchalant and grinning, and Sabo smiles a bit. Trust Lane to always be optimistic.

"I'll get your stuff for you and call the rest of the crew," he tells them. "Hey! You pack of numbskulls!" The ASL trio's crew stumbles out from below deck, rubbing at eyes, some sporting horrendous cases of bed head. Let it be known that the ASL pirates were not morning people. Actually, not many pirates were. He intends to test that theory out on the Whitebeards. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Lane slip into the rooms to grab their already packed bags.

Sabo stands, hands on his hips, Luffy's grin visible under his cloak, and Ace steps forward.

"Okay, idiots! You are hereby granted six months of leave!"

The pirate's mouths drop open. A collective shout of SIX MONTHS is heard, and Ace summons a large grin over his growing dread. He just made it official. One particularly stupid crew member- a normal looking young man named Jack who is anything but normal- whispers to his friend, "I wonder if it's because one of the trio found their true love," apparently forgetting about his captain's superhuman hearing. Ace steps forward to bash the poor man's face in when Sabo coughs, drawing everyone's attention.

He almost takes a step back as he sees the demonic look on his brother's face.

"Don't forget. One word. One word about Luffy or anything involving Luffy and-" he brings his finger to his neck and draws it across the pale skin in a slashing motion, looking rather like an avenging angel. The crew gulps. They have no doubt he can. Not that they would betray cute, oblivious Luffy anyways, but they don't think for an instant that their captain is incapable of finding them, wherever they are, murder them, and hide their corpses if they so much as breathed similarly to Luffy. Said Luffy, on the other hand, was completely unconcerned with such things and was laughing next to his brother, full, content giggle-chuckles.

"Captain!" The doctor calls out, "what are you going to be doing?" The entire crew (a grand total of six people- five without Lane) holds their breath.

"We're going to be staying with the Whitebeards," Ace states. Lane chooses that moment to appear back on deck, and he drops three neat suitcases into Sabo's waiting arms.

With that grand statement and a flourish of his hat, Fire Fist darts back into the forest, brothers trailing behind.

"Wait, what?"

"It's not true, is it?"

"Please tell me it's not true."

"Oh my god, it's true."

"I almost feel sorry for the Whitebeards."

"They didn't even answer our question properly."

* * *

Marco is used to working through the night, until letters blur in his eyesight and his fingers are sore and bruised, but this is taking it to new heights. Research on the ASL trio has led to a spectacular dead end. Names: nada. Abilities: other than the well known ones like Ace's fire, complete goose egg. Witnesses: nope. Marco marvels at the sheer ability and dexterity of the one who is handling this in the ASL crew. Somehow managing to keep even basic information a secret, the information that the Yonko should've known as soon as they entered the New World is a feat unto itself, but…seriously.

They took special pains with the Ghost- barring the fact that he's male, there is absolutely nothing on him. No witnesses, no photographs, no documentaries of him without his cloak on at all. Not even recordings of his voice are available. Marco shudders to think how many people had to be silenced for this.

He really doesn't trust them.

Eyes are windows to the soul, if one can read them. And Marco can. He's spent years and years on the ship of one of the most feared pirates in the world- he's made countless enemies, seen spies and assassins and traitors and picked them out of hundreds. He knows who has killed and which fingers have not yet been stained with blood. The Bloody Gentleman has. Fire Fist has- a bit less, but still has. The Ghost's eyes he can't see, but that just means he has something to hide.

Marco's duty is to Whitebeard, first and foremost, and then his crewmates. He cannot let them down. He cannot compromise their safety. Digging the heels of his hands into his eyelids, he feels the ache ebb a bit, and sets to work with a newfound fervor, readying a Den Den Mushi. If this keeps on, he's going to go blind.

* * *

Good, but you can do better. Remember, first priority is the Ghost's abilities. Anything strange going on with the kid, any abnormal behavior. Weaknesses and strengths. Just how far the older brothers will go, how far their loyalty goes. Will one brother betray the other for the Ghost? Do not forget to burn this letter. We would not like your position compromised, and neither would you, I should think.

-Admiral

Marshall D Teach snarls, recognizing the veiled threat for what it was. _Idiot_ , he thinks. _If you really don't want this position compromised you would use an alias_. But the Admiral's pride wouldn't allow it. He stretches and gets up from the chair. Perhaps some food would do him good. He was rather hungry.

He trots to the galley at a brisk pace, but stops suddenly when he sees the ASL trio boarding the boat again, the Bloody Gentleman carrying a stack of suitcases that left only the top of his hat poking out. Fire Fist suddenly breaks into a run, heading straight towards Whitebeard, and he sees the Bloody Gentleman reach a hand out, only to flail as the suitcases nearly fall from his grasp. The Ghost jerks him upright with a harsh tug, his gaze swiveling over to his older brother. The commanders immediately surround Whitebeard, weapons drawn, and Fire Fist skids to a stop, raising his hands in surrender. A cocky grin adorns his face, and when he speaks, the words drawl out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hey. I'd like to fight you."

Whitebeard smirks down at the kid. "It would be interesting."

"Why don't we give it a go? A hundred?"

"A hundred." Whitebeard agrees.

The agreement happens so fast, the commanders are completely unprepared when Ace launches himself at Whitebeard, a glint in his eye. The Bloody Gentleman groans before plopping his suitcases on the floor, and the Ghost is cheering his brother on without making any noise, pumping his hands in the air.

The commanders are about to step in, but Whitebeard waves his hand, and picks up his weapon.

He steps back from Fire Fist's flaming punch and jabs at his stomach, but Fire Fist looses a burst of flame, using the propulsion to do, a backflip, propelling himself out of reach. Whitebeard jabs with his bisento, and Fire Fist ducks, using the weapon to swing himself at Whitebeard, who blocks rapidly in succession. Fire Fist drops to the ground, taking up his stance again. They both smirk, and Fire Fist charges, with a flaming fist of glory raised high. Whitebeard blocks, and Ace kicks, aiming for his face, but Whitebeard does something, lashes out so fast Teach can barely see the movement, and Fire Fist crashes into the railing with a groan, splintering the wood. He sits up again, and no doubt is about to resume the attack, but Whitebeard holds up a hand.

"That's number one."

Fire Fist shakes his head and returns to his brothers, not even bothering to glance back at the ruined railing.

"He beat you," Sabo says. "And he wasn't even using his fruit powers." Luffy is slack jawed that someone managed to beat his older brother. Truthfully, Sabo isn't _that_ surprised. Whitebeard has the title of Strongest Man in the World for a reason, after all.

"I won't lose next time!" Ace shoots back defiantly. Sabo just shakes his head and continues to unpack. If they're spending this much time on the ship, they might as well make themselves comfortable. And besides, he wants to get some reconnaissance done as well. A map of the ship would certainly be helpful.

 **Watch as I destroy myself through attempting to write a fight scene. So, the ASL trio is finally on board!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm kind of busy, and this chapter was probably not that great, but please enjoy. ASL is about to meet their only true love. Greatest thanks to everyone who reviewed, too! Thanks for reading!**

 **BlackthornAshe- Thanks for taking the time to read! And I'm glad you think its different, since there are quite a few ASL meets the Whitebeards fanfics.**

 **forever122- thanks! And yeah, Luffy isn't like Sabo in that respect. Imagine him handling covert missions in the Revolutionary Army. He'll blow his cover five minutes in.**

 **Arxhaelogist- ALERT! ALERT! Thanks for pointing it out, it's five months. And their crew is actually about the size of Luffy's current one in canon including them. When Ace is depicted meeting Whitebeard for the first time in canon, his crew seems pretty big, and it takes a minimum amount of people to man a ship, so...  
**

 **SpadianTimeMage- Thanks!**

 **StrangeMoonlightCharm- And here, we reveal Sabo becoming darker and darker with every chapter…and yeah. Ace will always be an impulsive hothead. Ace and Sabo really do have overprotective big brother syndrome, though. In canon, too. And yes, you will see just how long Luffy can hold out. Really, though, thanks for the review.**

 **kerennie- yep, Ace has a long way to go with these little fights. Glad you thought it was funny. :)**

 **OrangeJacket- breakfast in the next chapter will be dedicated to you. :)**

 **Guest1- Here's the update, served on a silver platter.**

Sabo's face darkens as the voice continues on, urgency permeating every syllable.

"They know," Monkey D Garp says, voice echoing out of the Den Den Mushi. The snail's lips draw into a frown.

"But how?" Ace hisses, trying to keep his voice down, taking a glance at the sleeping Luffy. "We were so careful. So, so careful."

"I don't know how. Maybe someone told them- you were bound to miss someone eventually," their grandfather says wearily. "Just keep going with this. Keep that cloak on. Don't let him say anything. Luffy was a lot younger then- they might not recognize him at first."

"About that…" Sabo begins.

"What?" Garp asks impatiently. "I don't have much time. That Sengoku wants me in the meeting room in fifteen minutes." Sabo takes a deep breath. That geezer isn't going to like this, and he can almost feel the fist thudding down into his head.

"WejoinedtheWhitebeardsandwe'restayingwiththemforsixmonths."

"What? Speak up!"

"…We joined the Whitebeard Pirates for six months and we're sure Luffy can't hold his silence for that long."

Garp's scream of outrage is abruptly cut off as Sabo hangs up on him. Ace counts thirty seconds, and Sabo puts Garp back on the phone.

"Done now, you old geezer?"

"Wha- wait- why?" Garp splutters. "Absolutely not!"

Sabo lowers his voice a notch. "Luffy stumbled in the hallway the other day. Not tripped, mind you, stumbled. I had to catch him before he face planted on the ground."

The Den Den Mushi goes silent, and the brothers can tell the old Vice Admiral is thinking.

"As far as pirate crews go, the Whitebeards aren't bad- Whitebeard's honorable. But you can never be too careful. Make sure nobody gets on or off the boat, so if Luffy slips, as he's bound to, we can control the flow of information from the ship. That includes all News Coos."

"Got it, Gramps." Sabo smirks. "We were planning to anyway."

"CALL ME GRA-" Sabo hangs up. "Well, that takes care of that," he says, and he brushes invisible specks of dust off his gloves.

* * *

Luffy wakes up, shivering and miserable from a dream he can't remember. His brothers are curled up beside him, clothes rough against his skin, chafing uncomfortably, and he feels metal as his hand bumps against Sabo's pipe. He can remember a time before Sabo and Ace slept armed to the teeth. It had been nice.

He squeezes himself into the blankets- when had those gotten there?- and basks in the warmth radiating from his oldest brother. Ace felt like a heater, and as he shifts closer, Ace unconsciously slings an arm over his younger brother. Ever since his two year imprisonment, getting cold took much less difficulty, and low temperatures always made him uncomfortable.

"Luffy." It's Sabo, who is good at knowing when Luffy can't sleep, unlike Ace, who can sleep through a thunderstorm without batting an eyelash. "Go back to sleep. It's two in the morning."

And then he feels it- the rocking of a boat on the open ocean. Sabo notices, and smiles gently.

"We set out, Luffy. While you were asleep."

Luffy nods, and drifts off, lulled by the sound of waves pounding relentlessly on the wood of the ship.

Sabo waits, sitting by Luffy until his breath evens before tiptoeing out of their room, easing the door open as to not wake up his brothers. The ocean air is cool and ruffles his hair, and he holds on to his hat so it won't blow away. He ducks into a shadow with a convenient view to Teach's room and watches.

Three minutes tick by. Four. Eight. Ten. A full thirty minutes pass, and if Sabo was anybody else he would have conceded he made a mistake and went back to his room with a shrug and disappointment weighing his mood. But Sabo's not just anybody, and he does not make mistakes. Not with things like this.

And sure enough, at around three forty in the morning, a gull wheels over the Moby Dick in a wide arc before alighting by Teach's window. Which would be an average, everyday sight to most sailors, but this wasn't a normal, everyday situation. The bird disappears into Teach's room, reappearing in five minutes, ready to take flight. It ruffles its wings and leaps off into the night, a barely noticeable slip of paper tied to its left leg. The window shutters close, and Sabo takes a risk and strikes, arm snapping back, his wrist flicking in a blur of motion.

A burst of blood. The bird's still wings flutter once, the feathers ruffling in the wind, legs stiff and still, a throwing star imbedded in its chest. Not his favored method, but it works. Sabo jerks his arm, and the bird soars over the railing to land at his feet, attached to his arm by a smooth metal star and a spiderweb thin, steel strong string. Delicately, he plucks the throwing star out and unties the letter, tucking it into his coat. With a genuine apology to the bird, he nudges it over the deck, where it sinks into the ocean. He doesn't think anyone saw that. After all, it was still dark and the gleam of metal isn't very obvious juxtaposed against grey clouds and black night. He gathers the throwing star up, tucking it into his sleeve.

He needed to find the washroom. Dried blood would be hard to get out of cloth.

He increased the pace of his already quick steps. The letter was a stone inside his cloak, though it was light as air.

Ace feels something- anger, sympathy, frustration?- stab his heart as he sees Sabo enter the room, careful, the bottom of his sleeve stained red brown against the blue fabric. His brother freezes as he turns from closing the door, to find the brother he thought was asleep a second ago sitting up on the floor glaring at him.

"I- it's not what it looks like!"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," Sabo protests vehemently, crossing his arms.

"And that isn't blood."

"I saw Teach send a message. I killed the messenger and retrieved the letter. That's all." At Ace's expression, Sabo hastily reassures,

"The messenger was a bird, Ace."

"You got the letter?"

"Yes."

Sabo fishes it out of his coat and opens it.

 _No new information. Trio refused dinner and lunch in the galley- may have something to do with it._

 _-Blackbeard_

"So Blackbeard is Teach," Ace muses.

"It's not set in stone, but I would guess so."

"They're spying on us. Do you know who the letter was originally meant for?"

"No, but they're definitely part of the Marines or the World Government."

"How long do you think Luffy keep going?"

"Four months in prime condition- after that there are going to be some very noticeable impairments." Ace grimaces.

"That's not very good."

"Luffy's life is hinging on this."

At that moment, Luffy himself wakes up, sleep hanging in his eyelids.

"Someone's coming," he tells them, but Sabo and Ace already have swiveled their heads to face the door.

"Er, can I come in?" someone asks from outside, and though the voice is muffled, each word is clear and bright. Sabo rolls his eyes and opens the door.

"Fourth Division Commander, right? Is there something wrong?" he asks.

"No, no, no," he reassures. "I just wanted to invite you to breakfast." Sabo opens his mouth to say no, but the commander raises his hands, adopting a sideways grin.

"Come on. You're staying with us anyways- we might as well get acquainted." Sabo is about to refuse, say that no thanks, we brought our own, but then Luffy jumps up and says,

"Sure! As long as there's meat!" The Fourth Division Commander looks a bit caught off guard, and Luffy claps his hand to his mouth.

"Excuse us for a second," Sabo says, and slams the door in the Fourth Division Commander's face.

"Sorry," Luffy says, mouth pulled into a frown, brows drawn.

"You _idiot_!" Ace says, punching him in the head.

"Ow!" Luffy complains, before unleashing his ultimate weapon: Kicked Puppy Eyes. Ace visibly melts, while visibly trying not to melt, which creates an expression of slight constipation. "But can we still go eat?"

"As long as you don't do that again," Sabo instructs sternly.

"Fine." Ace grumbles, trying to keep the smile off his lips. "They're going to be in for a surprise, all right."

Ace opens the door again to reveal the Fourth Division Commander still standing awkwardly there.

"We accept your offer," he says, and the Commander immediately grins.

"Great!"

"I'm just warning you though," a smirk slips on to his features, "we eat quite a lot."

"Don't worry about it," the Commander says, dismissing the issue with a wave of his hand. "I'm sure we'll have enough."

"Really, now," Sabo asks dryly from Ace's elbow. The Commander doesn't seem to notice.

"Yup," he says.

 _FOOD!_ Luffy signs. _MEAT!_

The trio follows the Fourth Division Commander Thatch down the hallway, where he pushes open a large set of doors to reveal the galley, laden with meat and fish and fruit. All three brother's eyes glint dangerously, and they make a dive for the food.

 **And for everyone who commented on how long Luffy can hold out without socializing…well, let's see, shall we? That's one slip up already. Luffy's really not made for spying.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Been busy, so I'm not too sure about this chapter. Anyways, here you have the ASL trio and meat. Sparks will fly.**

 **Arxaelogist- Yes, now accepting donations from all citizens, pirates, marines and wanted criminals. Please send a food donation to (insert whitebeard postal code) as a tribute to the fallen Whitebeard dining hall. RIP peaceful pirate life.**

 **BlackthornAshe- Luffy is really bad at it. And there's another bird in this chapter, just for you! Poor Thatch, though..**

 **Strange-Moonlight-Charm- Yup, Overprotective Brothers 1 and 2 have appeared! And personally, I really enjoy Dark!Sabo too, so we'll probably be seeing more of that. Glad that you enjoyed the messenger being Garp, though. We'll see a few other messengers soon...hope you enjoy!**

 **forever122- Meat + ASL = DESTRUCTION! That deserves all caps. And to answer your question(kind of), you'll have to find out!**

 **Guest1- Thanks!**

 **Cassie- Thanks, and I hope you'll find the next chapters interesting too.**

 **AndruilofTolkein- Thanks!**

Pirates are roughly knocked aside as the ASL pirates leap onto the serving table, trays and bowls readied, and begin transferring all the food in sight onto their plates, snatching one or two in the process to stuff into their mouth. Thatch notices a distinct lack of cutlery on their plates, except the occasional fork or knife thrown in the scramble. Soon, the entire (original) stack of meat is near gone, save for a few pitiful slices still clinging onto the silver plate. At least half of the bread is missing, too, and the trio's trays are stacked precariously high with food. The brothers plop down onto one of the tables, unceremoniously unloading the plates from their arms.

"Are you sure you guys can eat that much?" Thatch asks hesitantly, being the only one who has recovered from shock.

"Mghsdijdh!" Fire Fist says, mouth already stuffed with what looks to be lamb chop. The Bloody Gentleman whacks him on the arm and points to his mouth, probably something about manners. Fire Fist rolls his eyes. The Ghost is eating so fast, it's a wonder food particles aren't getting trapped on his cloak, but he expertly navigates the food to his mouth at breakneck pace, eating almost faster than his brothers. Thatch would have said that was an impossible speed of meat consumed per second before he met these three.

The Bloody Gentleman suddenly chokes, turning purple, and without missing a beat, his brother smacks him on the back, dislodging a piece of bone. He nods appreciatively.

"This is good," he says, and chomps down on a ham like he didn't just die a horrible death by fish bone.

"Mm," his brother agrees.

"Thanks?" Thatch says uncertainly.

Thatch looks back up at the pile of meat, only to see that he's looking down at it instead. His jaw hits the ground. He looks back at the brothers in disbelief, only to see the Ghost stand up to reach for a particularly juicy piece of meat. His brothers slap his arm away and lunge for it themselves, only to collide halfway there and roll off the table in an impromptu wrestling match, only stopping when they collide into the wall, leaving two human shaped dents. The Ghost takes advantage of the distraction, his arm seeming to…stretch a little, but his progress is stopped when the Bloody Gentleman kicks his brother in the gut, and Fire Fist rockets into the Ghost, who is knocked face first into an empty plate. Fire Fist lands in a crouch on the opposite side of the table.

The Ghost growls, but ends up getting smacked aside by Fire Fist, who is gnawing on the piece of meat like it's his last meal. The Bloody Gentleman rushes for the last cut of steak when the Ghost does a spectacular backflip, twisting away from his brother's punch, and gleefully snags the last piece.

Thatch barely has time to blink before it's reduced to a jagged shard of bone. The Ghost burps, and his stomach seems to have enlarged a little.

The Ghost opens his mouth, but his brother elbows him, and he wilts like a flower in the desert, holding his hands up and signaling instead. The Bloody Gentleman shrugs apologetically and says,

"My brother would like to ask if you have any more food left to spare." The spectators that are present feel their eyes widen in disbelief. How could they have room for _more_? At this rate, they would have to stop to restock at every single island they passed by, robbing them of at least half their food storage.

"We did warn you," the Bloody Gentleman says with a sideways grin.

Marco chooses that moment to wander in, and takes a moment to absorb the pile of dirty dishes, heaps of bone, and the three brothers whose clothes got skewed and rumpled during the fight. He looks incredulously at the crew members who have not yet evacuated. The Whitebeards have taken the opportunity to retreat as far from the mayhem as possible and attempt to eat their meal in peace, but there were a few who had decided it would be a good idea to join in, and were currently lying on the floor groaning and clutching various body parts. Needless to say, participation levels had decreased sharply after two plates were consecutively smashed into a poor pirate's face and he had to be escorted to the infirmary.

Thatch recovers his voice. "I'm sorry," he grins, addressing the Bloody Gentleman, who seems to be the most civil of the three. "That's all we have for now." He sees the trio deflate a little, disappointed.

He turns to Marco.

"I need who find out who cooked for these three previously," he whispers, shaking his head. "We need to hire them." Sabo's ears twitch, and he smiles to himself, but the smile quickly drops as he feels a low pitched buzzing in his pocket, accompanied by steady vibrations. He motions to his brothers, who quickly join him in their typical triangle formation. Ace shoots him a quizzical glance.

"Please excuse us," he says, and sprints out of the room, not even waiting for an answer. He feels the commander's gazes boring into his back, but they don't appear to be chasing them or even worse, demanding an explanation.

"What is it?" Ace asks, now right by him. Luffy appears on his other side, cloak sweeping over their feet.

"Message." Ace understands immediately, Luffy doesn't. He cocks his head.

"Message?" he asks, thankfully managing to keep his voice quiet. "Cool! From who?"

"We're not sure."

"Why?"

"We haven't found out yet."

"Let's go, then!" And he races ahead, sandals slapping on the wood, causing Ace and Sabo to pick up their paces as well. They burst out onto deck, where Sabo recognizes as almost the exact place he was the night previous. Good. Sabo jerks Luffy back by the back of his collar before he can zoom out of the shadow cast by the wall.

"Wait," he hisses.

Just as he thought, a gull hops out of Teach's room, and Sabo waits just until the window closes, just when nobody is looking his way before pressing the button. The bird soon clatters to his feet, this time alive, just a little bit worse for wear. Sabo clicks another button, and the net retracts.

"Grab it, Ace."

"Why me? You do it!"

"Unless you want to memorize the note yourself," Sabo says, exasperated.

"Fine," Ace grunts, and pounces onto the mess of bird feathers.

"Hi, bird!" Luffy chirps, waving at it. Luffy watches it with interest as it flops around the deck, pinned down by a disgruntled Ace who already has a small scratch on his arm from its beak. Sabo unties the note from the bird's leg, reads it, and then reties it just the way it had been before in case anyone notices.

"You can release it now," Sabo says. Ace lets go of the bird, straightens his hat, and Luffy watches as it flies as fast as it can out of there, circling into the clouds.

"Did you memorize it?" Ace asks.

"Of course!" Sabo hisses, affronted.

"What does it say?" Luffy asks, bouncing up and down. Ace puts a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Not here." His brothers nod with understanding, and Luffy leaps back to their room, always eager for a mystery and the accompanying adventure.

"Let me write it down first," Sabo mutters, and he digs a pen and a notebook out of their suitcase. He strides to the desk in the corner and begins to copy it down from his memory, meticulously making sure not one period or capital is misplaced or missing.

 _Do not contact me unless you have something worthwhile to say, pirate scum._

 _-Admiral_

Below it Teach had scrawled something messily, and Sabo tries to recreate that, every little ounce of contempt.

 _Careful, Admiral. Careful. Wouldn't want something bad to happen, would you? A little slip here and there could do no harm, don't you think?_

Sabo sits back, satisfied. "We know who it is now, at least. Judging by the line 'pirate scum' it's probably Akainu."

"Pirates aren't that bad!" Luffy says, offended. He frowns. "So basically bad guy is saying stuff to another bad guy."

"Pretty much, yeah," Ace mutters. Luffy nods sagely.

"Why would they do that?" He asks.

"Because, Lu," Sabo says, "one of these 'bad guys' can't do it himself."

"So he's weak."

"He's an Admiral, Luffy," Ace says.

"I bet you could beat him!"

Ace smiles affectionately, masking it with cocky pride. "Yeah," he says. Sabo rolls his eyes.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he states, and drops the paper into the ocean, watching it soak up the seawater, sinking and drifting away among the waves.

"I bet you could, too!" Luffy says, grinning, and Sabo ruffles his hair, glaring at a smirking Ace who is sniggering to himself quietly.

"Shut up," he grinds toward Ace, clenching his teeth. Ace merely turns on an angelic smile. _Sorry_ , _Luffy. I can't beat him now, but I will one day. That's a promise,_ Ace thinks.

"I believe it's time for fight number two," he says, and walks determinedly out of the room, Whitebeard in mind.

* * *

"I think the Ghost might have a Devil Fruit," Thatch comments to Marco, who looks to him with interest.

"Why would that be, yoi?" He asks. Thatch shrugs, mouth tilting downwards and brows furrowing as he tries to figure it out.

"His arm. It did something weird during the fight. It just kind of…stretched a little, if I remember correctly. I'm not sure, though. It might have been my imagination."

"Maybe," Marco concedes, but adds it to the growing list of information he has collected about the trio. The two friends fall silent, looking at the mess that used to be the dining hall.

"We're going to have to restock on food, yoi."

"Definitely."

* * *

"When is the next time the Whitebeards make landfall?"

"In exactly ten and a half days, sir."

"Hmmm. We'll be there. Expect us. The sooner we can apprehend them, the better."

"Whitebeard will not take well to that, sir."

"It's not the Whitebeards we want. They are merely the spectators in this."

"A quick in and out, then, sir?"

"Yes. And tell your captains. You are backup only. You are not to interfere. You are not to comment on any risks we may take or any methods we may use. You will, under no circumstances, reveal yourselves. Hide your ships- the Whitebeards must not see you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

A click. "The Admiral is not going to be happy about this," the marine mumbles, forcing his feet to trace the route to the Admiral's quarters, one step at a time. He's dreading the moment he opens the door to relay the message. _Don't kill the messenger_ , he thinks, chanting it in his head like a mantra. _Don't kill the messenger._

Thirty minutes later, Admiral Akainu's feet are propped onto his desk, and he is breathing slightly heavily from rage. Who are they to disrupt his orders, his schedule? He has a perfect plan- lure, trap, and hook. But no, they just have to insist on stealing all the glory and doing all of it in one fell swoop. They Whitebeards and ASL are pirates, for heaven's sake. He could take them himself, without interference or _help_. He admits that they are excellent fighters, fast and strong and efficient, but…he doesn't need them. He levels an unsympathetic glance at the unconscious marine slumped by his wall.

Cipher Pol was such a pain.

* * *

Sabo picks up the receiver. There are noises up on deck, the sound of splintering wood and a couple unpirate-like yelps, which he assumes is coming from Ace swinging an axe at Whitebeard's neck and subsequently causing a lot of destruction. He hopes that Luffy is staying silent.

"Hello?" he asks into the speaker.

"It's Dragon." Sabo tenses. He was not expecting this, of all things. Sabo waits for Dragon to say something, an explanation as to why the leader of the Revolutionaries was bothering with this. "We have news."

And Dragon explains. And with each secret he unravels, things grow worse and worse as Sabo begins to zoom out, see the bigger picture.

"So, you're using this as a distraction to launch an offensive," Sabo infers, fingers tapping against his knee.

"And we figured that since we were using you, or at least what you have created, we might as well tell you what exactly is going on." Sabo's brain spins as he begins to plot the outlines of a plan to shift things in the right direction. The sounds up above have stopped, and Sabo can only think that Ace lost. Again. "That is all," Dragon says, voice coming out tinged a bit metallic.

"Wait," Sabo says, and hesitates, before plunging in. The point of no return. "Does your offer still stand?"

"Always."

Monkey D Dragon hangs up, and Sabo leans back on the rickety wooden chair. The door creaks as Luffy drags his brother in, sopping wet.

"He fell into the ocean," Luffy explains. Ace splutters, and hacks up another mouthful of water.

"Nasty," he coughs, and Sabo laughs.


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is just a follow up for the next chapter, which will have way more exciting stuff, like assassins vs assassins, Akainu, marines with a vengeance, and so on. Probably a little rushed and nothing really happens, but oh well.  
**

 **BlackthornAshe- Yeah, Sabo is awesome. Thanks, by the way, and you'll see the marine around in this chapter and the next one.**

 **kerennie- Thanks! And yeah, I should probably write it down so I don't forget and create a huge plot hole.**

 **Flowerbelle- Thank you!**

 **SpadianTimeMage- Yeah, Sabo met Dragon the same way. And I love Sabo Dragon interactions as well, although there won't be that many of them until much later.  
**

 **Strange-Moonlight-Charm- Thanks! And yeah, bird massacres would probably get too much attention. I love the Revolutionaries, so it just kind of happened.**

 **Arxhaelogist- Yeah, to be honest, I've always wondered how exactly Sanji is managing to feed Luffy :)**

 **TricksterMadness- Thanks, and I hope you have a nice day too!**

 **forever122- No kidding :) Everyone is getting involved.**

"We're going to see land anytime during today," Sabo says.

"Cool!" Luffy jumps, hopping down from the whale figurehead of the Moby. Nobody is around, it being only five in the morning, and the sunrise paints the sea into orange and red stained glass.

"Summer island?" Ace asks, hopeful. Sabo grins.

"Yup." Sabo flips open a book, pointing to a island that resembles a tropical paradise. "Forest covering three fourths of the island, a small village, and the rest is beach."

"Luffy's going to have a field day," Ace comments, and Luffy bounds over, looking over Sabo's shoulder. His mouth stretches into a wide grin that shows all his teeth.

Marco looks at the scene, the trio's silhouettes black against the tangerine sun, figures casting wide shadows over the head of the whale. He feels a tinge of worry- they're only a few feet away from the edge, and Marco knows that the figurehead is slippery at best, but the trio seems in no danger of falling. The Bloody Gentleman turns around first, and Marco stiffens, but the pirate shows no sign of surprise. His long black jacket is spread out behind him, and he can already see dark splotches forming from the sea spray.

"What brings you here?" he asks, and his brothers swivel their heads around as well.

"Early morning walk." Marco realizes that sounds like a pathetic excuse, but it's true. He's always enjoyed clear skies and the sea just before sunrise.

"I see." And all three go back to staring at the horizon. Marco is just beginning to realize the force that these three are, the hurricane that they bring. Their trust in each other is perfect. They fight seamlessly, punches and kicks and jabs melding together, iron into iron into a chain of unyielding thorns, and they recognize each other's every breath. Not quite unlike the Whitebeards themselves, actually. Marco can respect that. He has to try. He has to try. He takes a deep breath.

"May I join you, yoi?" And Fire Fist and the Bloody Gentleman turn again to stare at him incredulously, but the Ghost reaches out one hand, and taps his brother's arm in a series of patterns. The Bloody Gentleman nods reluctantly, and waves him over. He walks toward the trio, footsteps unnaturally loud in the silence, and sits down, crossing his legs at the ankles next to Fire Fist, who lets out a low snarl. The pirate has a knee drawn to his chest, and an arm propped on it, and he shifts a little closer to the Ghost as Marco sits down beside him. The Bloody Gentleman, on the other side, is staring determinedly at the white crested waves crashing over and over against the ship.

Only the Ghost seems willing to make any sort of eye contact, even if it is a bit hard if Marco can't see his face. Unlike his brother, the Ghost is sitting on his cloak, and it seems full of wrinkles and creases already. From his angle, Marco can see his eyes, and he silently wonders at them, the eyes that are the most expressive that Marco has ever seen, and Marco thinks he can see the Ghost's soul in them. The Ghost has none of the Bloody Gentleman's sleek steel walls or Fire Fist's barbed wire fences and jagged pikes. The Commander understands why he wears that cowl.

The silence is grating, as are the pair of brown eyes against his nerves. He opens his mouth. "How's the ship, yoi?"

"Good." The answer comes from Fire Fist, short and closed off, and Marco inwardly cringes. The Bloody Gentleman snorts.

"Would you allow me to introduce you to my fellow commanders, yoi?" Marco asks, an attempt at breaking the ice. Fire Fist doesn't lift his head. Glacier blue eyes lift to meet him instead, and Marco is briefly reminded of his own fire, that is unable to burn but scorches all the same.

"Of course. But there should be only nine here, currently, because if I'm correct, four are taking care of business in one of the islands you claimed, and the other three are in Dressrosa." This time, the tone is bristling with fang.

Marco's head snaps up. They sure did their research, because the Whitebeards strive to keep their locations a secret. He exhales slowly, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Fire Fist's snarl morph into a smirk.

"Don't bother to ask," Fire Fist tells him, eyes fixed on the blurry divide between sea and sky, "we don't even know how he does it." The Ghost's form is shaking underneath the cloak, and Marco just knows he's suppressing laughter.

"Okay, yoi," he says slowly.

"Lovely, then," the Bloody Gentleman states, and Marco has to suppress his mind screaming at him that no, this was a mistake, he has to be planning something. Fire Fist's smirk widens, and Marco's heart sinks.

Marco watches the sun rise with the sound of Fire Fist's steady breathing in his ears, close enough to feel the radiating heat, just far enough to not touch.

Something rustles, and Marco's head jerks up, only to see the Bloody Gentleman smoothing his clothes, Fire Fist adjusting his hat, and the Ghost pulling his cowl further over his eyes.

"We'll be ready when you are." Fire Fist says, and it takes a moment for him to realize they are referring to his invitation earlier. It takes him a moment to regain his bearings, and he scrubs at his eyes, and says,

"I could take you now, if you like." The Bloody Gentleman gives a tight nod, and Fire Fist just shrugs loosely.

"Sure."

He stands up, takes one more look at the horizon, and bids a peaceful morning goodbye. A few crewmembers lift their arms to wave when he passes by, only to drop their hands when they see the trio behind him, graceful as a panther, silent as the dead. They aren't sure what to make of the new arrivals, and Marco doesn't blame them, but he wishes they were a little more welcoming. Pops wanted them after all, which meant they would bear the mark soon enough.

"I actually don't know where all of the Commanders are right now," he says, addressing the trio behind him.

"Then what was-" Fire Fist doesn't get far before the breath is knocked out of him by an elbow in the stomach. "What was that for?" he hisses at his brother, and Marco can feel the condescending eye roll without seeing it.

He goes to Izo's room first, where he is, predictably, rearranging his wardrobe. For probably the hundredth time in the month. Izo answers the door with a gun to the face.

"Oh. It's you," he grumbles. "Why are you here?" When he catches sight of the three behind him, he raises an eyebrow, but steps out of the room, closing the door behind him. He sticks out a hand. "Izo, sixteenth division commander." The Bloody Gentleman takes it.

"You probably know who we are," he says, and Izo nods before slamming the door in Marco's face.

"The other commanders are probably at breakfast now," Marco says, and almost winces when he sees the expression of malicious glee on Fire Fist's face.

"So, we're heading there?" he asks.

"Sure, yoi." Marco is thankful that they're making land soon or else they would all starve because of the trio's stupidly large appetites.

The trio meets five more of the commanders at the toppled breakfast table- Namur, Haruta, Thatch, Kingdew, and Fossa. Needless to say, the meeting did not end very well with the trio and food present, but it was the best he could do. They could get properly acquainted anytime during the next few months.

* * *

"In position?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do not forget your instructions."

There is something immensely satisfying, the marine thinks, in the idea of taking part in a successful mission and coming back to the base in a victory march, head high and shoulders back, but in reality, the mission is a dreary business. His skin and uniform is cold and wet, and the Admiral and Cipher Pol are arguing- the Admiral wished to take them head on. Cipher Pol did not agree. He readies his rifle, and checks the ammunition.

"They're here."

The marine snaps to attention and takes up defensive position, watching Cipher Pol tuck knives into their cloaks and guns in their sleeves, and he feels a sense of comfort. Cipher Pol would not fail them. They would uphold their creed of Absolute Justice. He imagines the three pirates in shackles, being dragged to their trial, and he remembers fire and smoke. He smiles, a tilt of lip that signals victory.

* * *

The call that signals land rings out sometime around noon, and the trio is the first one out on deck. As the ship turns right, they can see the island, crescent moon beach and straw and wood houses shaded by a forest. The trio doesn't wait for the Whitebeards and the commanders, jumping down as soon as they are close enough, and Marco watches them disappear into the forest, the last traces of Fire Fist's flames lingering in the air.

* * *

Marshall D Teach grins. This is the perfect time to get into touch with Akainu, as he was informed that they would be coming to this island. Once he fulfilled this obligation, he could carry on with his plan, and once the trio was...persuaded to lead him to the Devil Fruit they found, he could finish off all he needed to do with the Whitebeards and proceed with his original intentions. And woe betide the trio if they'd lied.

He hears the creaking sound of the gangplank being lowered, and like a good, obedient son, follows closely behind the commanders to make his way onto the island. Soft sand meets his feet.


	13. Chapter 13

**Here, you have me and a long fight scene, which is basically equivalent to ASL and food. We love it, but it usually ends with catastrophe. Frankly, I've never tried something like this before, but hopefully it was okay.  
**

 **kerennie- here you go! Woohoo! I hope you like it. And...I'm sorry, but Akainu is not going to die. I hate it too. Just watch Whitebeard smashing him into the chasm and you'll feel better. At least I do.**

 **Arxhaelogist- never watched Sherlock, actually...I'll go hide in the corner. But, gah! Pressure! Hope this chapter was good enough.**

 **SpadianTimeMage- I didn't really know where I was going with the Marco thing, but I'm glad you found it interesting. And unfortunately, I cannot resist the cliffhanger.**

 **Flowerbelle- yup. Cliffies everywhere!**

 **BlackthornAshe- Yes, Izo accidentally blowing up Marco's head would be interesting...maybe I can incorporate it later. ASL is still (relatively) safe. Moment of silence for the mess hall.**

 **j-swan- hope you like it!**

 **TeddyPlush- here you go! New chapter!**

Luffy leaps after a butterfly, its iridescent wings fluttering in panic. He aims, swings back, and fires, but trips over his cloak and ends up tumbling onto the forest floor, fist careening off into the opposite direction. Sabo swats it away with his pipe.

"Lu-" he begins, but before he can bat an eye, Luffy has shucked off the cloak and is after the poor insect again. "Luffy!"

Luffy's cloak gets blown into Ace's face, getting caught on the rim of his orange hat, and before he can growl, he's tripped over a tree stump and his arms flail wildly as he tries to regain his balance. He rips the cloak off his face, only to see Sabo and Luffy laughing at him under the shadow of a tree.

"You-" and with that, he launches himself at Luffy, who throws himself out of the way but isn't quite fast enough, and ends up crashing onto the forest floor, Ace triumphantly on top of him. Luffy snarls and tilts his head back, revealing his neck, and jerks his head forward in a would be headbutt. He doesn't hear the rustle of leaves and the elastic sound of something being drawn back, but Ace does.

Ace stiffens. He pushes Luffy's head down, making the back of his skull collide with the ground, and his hand shoots out, catching the neck of an arrow inches away from Luffy's neck, barely giving himself enough time to twist away. A crossbow bolt whizzes past his ear, chopping off the fringes of his hair. It imbeds itself into the trunk of a tree with a dull thud. Ace rolls off Luffy, making sure to block his face from sight, and throws the cloak onto him. He twirls the arrow deftly between his fingers and tosses it, the shaft making a wide arc to land on Sabo's palm, who's fingers curl around it.

Sabo fingers the tip of the bolt. Sea stone. His eyes narrow. Assassination. He would know. Guns make a lot of noise, and the Whitebeards would probably have heard it- they must want to avoid a direct confrontation. Sabo closes his eyes, and the world turns sharp and grey blue, solid stone and thick wood vanishing into thin blue outlines. He turns, leaping back, scanning the forest as another bolt thuds into the dirt, feathered end quivering.

Luffy is on his feet, the cloak safely over his eyes as he readies himself, sinking into a defensive stance. Ace and Sabo share a look. Ace grasps onto Luffy's arm in a vice like grip and breaks into a run, heading deeper into the forest. Or at least he tries to. Ace skids to a stop as shadowy figures drop from the canopy, and Sabo sees him bite back a curse. Sabo sees a glint of steel and stone as the figures circle, wearing cloaks eerily similar to Luffy's own. The trio draw closer to each other, forming a triangle, Luffy in the center.

Ace adjusts his hat, and his shoulders flare into flame. Sabo lifts his pipe. Luffy raises his fists.

"What," Sabo begins to say, but one of the figures raises the crossbow and he has to duck. "Ace."

Ace makes a sound of comprehension, and a smirk forms on his face. He lifts his hands and sweeps them in both directions, as if pushing double doors away, and a curtain of fire rushes through the forest, incinerating the leaves of the trees. It leaves a thick blanket of smoke behind. Sabo's jacket and Luffy's cloak lift from the hot air and the pressure. Ace's finger turns into a wisp of flame, and he pushes his hat up so it doesn't block his eyes, only to turn and look up at the sky.

A silhouette appears through the smoke, directly on top of Ace, and he has to dodge as a knife spins tip over hilt towards his head. With a burst of flame, he meets the adversary in midair. The cloak he'd once worn is gone, revealing a young man with short straw colored hair and sharp eyes. Tattoos curl around his bare arms. Sabo hisses.

"Cipher Pol. Why are they here?"

Sabo recognizes every one of the members that are present. They're the strongest of Cipher Pol, rumored to be on the same level with assassinations and covert missions as the Admirals are in brute strength. And they're all here. Sabo mentally curses Ace's heritage, the Leviathan Experiment, and Marine HQ.

He spins on his heel, raising an arm to block as a knife meets the metal of the pipe with a sharp clang. Luffy ducks under a sword. Three more figures drop down from the smoke blackened sky, and Sabo can see through the smoke just enough that he can just make out the ashes and charred trees. Total destruction. He smiles triumphantly. Someone should have noticed _that_ , and well, a noticeable assassination is a failed assassination. His pipe is a whirlwind of movement, blocking and jabbing and spinning, and he can see Luffy weave under and over blades, rubbery flexibility displayed as he backflips out of the way of a thrust of the sword. Ace shoots streams of white hot fire, creating searing, dancing flowers out of staccato bursts of his element. It's getting hard to differentiate his torso from flame.

They were doing well. Until two more members appear, leaping on them all at once, ferocious with efficiency of movement even the trio has to respect, and Sabo thinks that he's overestimated the Whitebeards. Three one three was hard enough. Four on three was difficult. Six, well, it's time to run. They don't even look tired, and Sabo can't help but feel a stab of indignation at the unfair odds. Sabo retreats, back colliding with Ace and Luffy's, and he can feel their erratic heartbeats through the layers of clothing.

The one directly facing them, who Sabo identifies as the leader, smiles, all jagged edges and sharpened teeth. With ruthless efficiency, each of the members tear off their thin white gloves, and teeth elongate into fang, fingers sharpen into claw, and a few of the daggers grow horns, tails, or fins. Feline eyes appear on the crossbow, half lidded, and the sun sparks off the dull stone as if there were bits of mica embedded in it.

The crossbow strikes, and Sabo has to roll out of the way, only to twist and swing his pipe as claws try to come down on his neck. He catches a knife as it stabs towards his stomach, and with a clever twist of his wrist, pockets it. The assassin glares, before pulling out another dagger, and they're in motion again. Sabo pivots, jumping back as the dagger flicks a knife edged tail at his side, twisting around to prevent a crossbow bolt from making itself home in his spine. What worries him most...he zeroes in on a deceptively broad shouldered assassin wearing a permanent snarl. He can see clear liquid dripping off the tip of the sword he wields, and a forked tongue flicks, tasting the air. They fan out, circling the trio, and Sabo wonders where the Whitebeards are, because they should have at least enough common sense to check what's going on.

The next few moments are a flurry of movement, but they can't deflect all the blows coming from twelve highly trained assassins, and soon, they're sporting quite a few cuts, and a gash on his right arm is particularly bothering Sabo. It's a testament to Cipher Pol's skill that they're able to drain the trio so thoroughly. Sabo knows they move like a well oiled machine, untraceable, unpredictable, but Cipher Pol is able to pick the lock to any safe, and if not, bust it open.

Sabo eyes the sword, and it opens one lazy eyelid and looks at him, sharp on both sides, venomous on the tip.

Its owner grins as it strokes the scaly neck of the snake, and the sword-snake yawns, revealing sharp fangs dripping with venom. The sword is not only poisonous, but seems to be capable of 0 to 100 acceleration. It strikes, a blur made of black and brown and bands. Sabo didn't know that snakes could move this fast, and his muscles _burn_ as he ducks and jumps and deflects. He estimates the snake is striking at least once in zero point twenty seconds, and true, it needs to rest, but then the assassin wielding it slashes the sword forward in a wide arc, never giving him a break. Not to mention his other attackers, and there's more than one time he gains a new injury to avoid the snake's fangs.

He springs back to avoid a debiliating kick to the knee, and spins his pipe, passing it to his left hand, and flicks a switch with what his enemies will interpret as a mere twitch of thumb. Feeling a burst of movement to his right, he ducks as Luffy flips in the air to land behind him, rather nasty bite marks mangling his leg.

He looks wistfully in Ace's direction, seeing the snapping bite of some sort of cat-axe pass right through his body, and it howls as Ace burns its face. Its owner snarls, eerily similar to its weapon, and leaps at Ace with renewed intensity. Mentally, he adds this situation to his list of times having a devil fruit would be useful.

Sadly, the snake does not give time for adding things to mental lists.

It darts forward, and while Sabo twists his head back to avoid a bite directly to the windpipe, he can't quite dodge it completely, and the snake shifts a bit in midair, cutting a zigzag line to the side of his throat. He jabs at it, flicking a switch on side of his pipe, and the snake opens its jaws. Sabo catches a pained hiss in his mouth as he feels the sword zip past his defenses to cut a thin line along the side of his neck. Clear liquid dribbles down with the blood, and Sabo can feel his head growing dizzy already. _Stupid_ , he admonishes himself. He looks up again and can't help but feel a twinge of pride as he sees the snake's decapitated head fall to the ground, and he flicks his thumb down on a tiny bump on the pipe, making the centimeter thick blade disappear back into the hollow interior of the metal, coated in blood. He rests his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

"Sabo!" Luffy shouts, voice clear above the ruckus, and Sabo can't find it in him to call at him to stay _quiet_. Ace turns, fending off a devastating blow from a sword, and steps in front of him, protective. Sabo can see a pronounced limp in Ace's left leg. Luffy takes up guard on the other side of him and they're at it again, a dance of death, flying fists and slashing swords and controlled plumes of fire.

Sabo sees it in slow motion, a sword coming down to slice through the muscles of Luffy's neck, and Ace spins, jerking Luffy back by the collar so the sword falls past rubbery flesh and down at Sabo, who scrabbles back, doing a sort of half roll. The sword digs into the dirt, and the assassin draws a dagger, grinning maliciously. He advances towards the trio, eyes fixed on Luffy. A pained expression crosses Ace's face as he assesses their condition and doesn't like what he sees.

"Ace," Sabo hisses. Panic flares through his blurring vision. "Whatever you're planning to do, _don't do it_." Ace raises his hand in a salute and gives him a wolfish grin.

"Good, because I don't have a plan."

And Ace snaps his fingers, and a tornado of flame leaps out of them, intensifying and forming a blazing wall, leaving him on one side and Sabo and Luffy on the other. Sabo falls to one knee, and with a cry, Luffy is beside him.

"Idiot," Sabo says through gritted teeth, staring into the wall of flame. He tears off a bit of cloth and presses it to the cut on his neck. Breathe. Breathe. His fingers clench, pulling ashes and dirt into his palm, and he tries to stand up. The venom does not agree with this, and he collapses back onto the dirt, feeling ridiculously pathetic. It's getting harder and harder to keep air circulating through his lungs, and the cut on his neck is _throbbing_. He attempts to open his mouth and speak, but something metallic fills it instead, and he quickly closes it as he inhales a large mouthful of smoke.

"Sabo!" Luffy is shaking his shoulders frantically, and Sabo tries to shake his head as Luffy drops to a defensive position in front of him. The horizon blurs, and…is that magma in the distance? His heart climbs to his throat.

* * *

When Marco first introduced the wonderful world of the Whitebeards to a certain bloodthirsty trio, he did not expect this to happen within a week of meeting them. Now, the unexpected was an unavoidable part of pirate life, but honestly, did Akainu really have to bring ten battleships to this tiny little island? Ten? He soars over the chaos, only to have to do an awkward aerial maneuver as another chunk of magma nearly spears him.

He's evenly matched with the Admirals any day of the week, but they are already hard pressed to keep the Marines away from the island, as Akainu really has no qualms about annihilating one little village in his quest to rid the world of pirates.

And the trio is worrying him. There's a little patch of black in the middle of the forest, and all he can see in that general area is smoke and the occasional lick of fire and puff of dust. He throws up his hands in frustration and whirls, his blue flames meeting with Akainu's magma.

* * *

"Admiral."

The voice issuing from the Den Den Mushi in his breast pocket is cold and detached.

"I know," he says. "But the Whitebeards saw your so called _assassination_ , and they would have been on you in seconds, had I not interfered. You should be _thanking_ me."

"Admiral. Send troops to our location immediately. Preferably armed with seastone. There is no need for secrecy now."

He bristles. "You do not give me orders," he tells the person on the other side of the snail.

"Do it."

He slams the receiver down and calls for the captain.

"Collect fifty of your best and make your way to the agreed upon location, armed with sea stone weapons. Now. Get that?"

The captain nods sharply, salutes, and turns on his heel.

The marine makes his way through the underbrush, keeping pace with the warm press of bodies. The weight of the rifle is comforting and familiar in his hands, although the seastone bullets are more foreign, cold and smooth and somehow duller. He sucks in a breath as he looks down, only to see dirt speckled with flakes of ash. The trees, too, are proof of the destruction the ASL pirates leave behind.

The bark is twisted and charred, as if struck down by lightning and crusted with black. Smoke is making it hard to breathe and obscuring his vision. His head snaps up as a sudden pulse of flame flares above the destruction, turning the smoke orange, and he can see the black silhouettes of trees in the distance fall. The group breaks into a sudden run, and the marine finds himself slipping a gas mask over his head. Not technically regulation, but everyone else was doing it, and it was better safe than sorry.

They had a mission to complete, and pirates to capture.

The marine remembers annihilation the likes of which he can see now, blood and warmth of life dripping away, and a simple whispered phrase.

"ASL. They came for us."

* * *

Luffy stands in front of Sabo, staring at the wall of fire. He thinks that he can see the occasional figure through the flames, but it's really hard to tell. The smoke is covering everything.

"Ace!" he shouts.

Sabo glares up at him, but he doesn't care this time.

"Luffy, you have to go." Sabo says. He shakes his head frantically.

"I'm not leaving without you!" he says, knowing Sabo would do the same.

"Gah!" Sabo tears at his hair, and coughs again, scratchy and raw.

Salvation comes in the form of a phoenix with blue wings and blazing fire.

Marco grumbles as he flies through the smoke, finally having escaped from Akainu's fists of magma, turning his head to scan the forest for the trio. They need to get out of there _fast_. He flaps his wings harder, catching the air under his feathers and using the bursts of flame in the distance as a reference to the general direction he needed to be going.

He almost chirps when he sees a spot of yellow and red crouched on the ground, next to what appears to be a wall of fire. Swooping down, he unfolds his wings to bury his claws in the dirt. He blinks. There are two people. One is the Bloody Gentleman, and the other one is…a boy, with a straw hat and a scar under his eye. It takes a moment for his brain to catch up. The ASL trio has three members. They are the only ones who can get that close to each other. The boy is decidedly not Fire Fist, and the Bloody Gentleman is right beside him. So, by process of elimination, the boy must be...

"Wait a second, you're the Ghost, yoi?" His mouth drops open, his normally impregnable composure shattered.

"Pineapple! Help him!" And the Ghost shoves his brother to him, and Marco just realizes that the Bloody Gentleman isn't looking very good, if the blood he's coughing up is any sign. And…pineapple?

"Get Ace," The yellow haired pirate croaks, pointing at the fire, and Marco rolls his eyes.

"Calm down, yoi." He pushes the pirate down before he collapses, and leaps into the flames, wings carrying him over the brunt of the heat. Although his devil fruit protects him, it is by no means a pleasant experience, and the pain scalds, as if his skin was being burned away. Normally, such a sacrifice would not be made for the sake of his hair and general well being, but Pops seemed intent on making sure the trio stays alive, so it was the least he could do.

He drops onto the ground to see Fire Fist, clothes covered in ash, spin to avoid a haki coated sword, bleeding heavily from his right shoulder. His previously off white shirt is now off black, and he looks at Marco with an expression of great surprise as he flicks his finger and sends bullets of flame hurtling towards his enemies.

"Why are you here?" he asks.

Marco grabs him, swerves past a crossbow bolt, and hauls him out of the flames.

"Ace!" he hears the Ghost cry as soon as his brother emerges from the flames.

"Now would be an opportune moment to run," Marco says, and casts a glance at the now unconscious brother. "I'll get the Bloody Gentleman, yoi." Ace's head snaps up in surprise, and he glares at Marco, only to look back at his brother, currently being carried bridal style. He smirks weakly.

"The Bloody Gentleman, huh?" he asks. "Well, he's certainly living up to that epithet."

And Marco suddenly understands what Pops sees in the small trio of pirates.

* * *

 **And we go from chasing butterflies to life threatening poison, fire everywhere, Akainu, Cipher Pol, and destruction. I actually have no idea how this happened, so I'm currently just attempting to get this over with as well as I can and get on to the more Sabo, less Ace part. (Basically, less smashing heads in). The original plan for this chapter was a simple 2000 word fight, reveal, escape. But nooooo. That venom thing just...happened. As did the marine thing.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I think the previous chapter kind of drained me, but I hope you like it! We'll be having more Whitebeard ASL interaction later on.**

 **SpadianTimeMage- Thanks! And I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'll be dishing out pretty equal servings of pain, so…**

 **Strange-Moonlight-Charm- Thanks a lot! And yeah, hopefully the Whitebeards and the trio will get to know each other better, especially since for the need for Luffy secrecy has kind of been wasted.**

 **BlackthornAshe- Marco to the rescue! And I really seem to like hurting Sabo, don't I?**

 **Yuzukikuran476- Don't we all.**

 **Caraline Fisher- Thank you!**

 **Flowerbelle- Give me your opinion on this nickname, will you? I'm not very good with names. :)**

 **Arxhaelogist- That first part was extremely satisfying to read, let me just tell you that. And yep, the pressure will always be there. But I hope you like it!**

Considering their past experiences with the fickle creature called luck, Ace likes to think they did pretty well. Basically, they got through approximately half the forest before a large group of marines attempts to ambush them.

"Phoenix." Ace shifts uncomfortably. "I'll deal with them." He hesitates a second, visibly swallowing down his pride. "Could you- " The Phoenix rolls his eyes.

"I'll take care of it, yoi," he says. Ace has to bite down on his surprise. He would have expected at least a promise of debt, or…Ace shares a glance with Luffy, who nods surreptitiously in his direction. Ace and Luffy have never had the same eye for deceit and mind for plans that Sabo does, but they have their own brand of instincts, slightly sharper honed than Sabo's because of the fact that they have less common sense. Or so Sabo said.

Luffy flashes him a thumbs up, and Ace nods back. Keep an eye on him, he almost says, but then he mentally kicks himself. Of course Luffy would. It simply went against his nature to not. He turns to face his attackers and Marco and Luffy's footsteps fade, one set significantly heavier sounding than the other.

The marines do not look like the embodiment of Absolute Justice right now, and he reckons if Akainu were here, they would have been drowning in a pit of magma right now. He smirks at the terrified marines, who upon arriving on the agreed on location, don't find the ASL trio trussed up and ready to be escorted to their deaths, but instead roaming free as "a blot upon the innocence of the pure land." Direct quote from Admiral Akainu. He assesses the marines, concluding that he could take them all down in fifty seconds. A flick of his finger sends a stream of fire among the group, instantly torching almost half of their weapons. Unfortunately, they have plenty left.

A bullet whizzes past his ear, and he feels it even if it never actually touched him, the draining of power just by being in close vicinity, his instincts screaming danger. Seastone.

He scowls as he sees that the marines are relatively experienced, a few having managed to block the fire with a combination of haki and their own attacks. He readies his fire, and the tips of his fingers melt into flame. Ace cracks his knuckles, and reflects on how he must seem to the marines right now. Ruthless. Brutal. A true monster, just like his father was.

He doesn't care.

As long as his brothers are safe.

A flaming fist of fire smashes down on the marines, creating a shockwave that tears out dirt and pebbles, sending them flying.

The birdie's arms are tufts of blue fire, yellow streaks running through them like lit candles smearing bands of light across the azure sky. Each individual feather flickers and whispers, each one different. Luffy is forcibly reminded- not Ace. He looks at Sabo, who is breathing heavily in the bird's wings, and Luffy wants very badly to tell him to wake up. Sabo could never refuse him, after all.

He carries Sabo's pipe under his arm, the metal heavy and unbalanced, and it's not just the weight difference and the physical differences between him and Sabo. Blades ring the edge of the pipe, clever mechanisms allowing them to be slid out at the push of a button or a flick of a switch. Sabo trained a long time to be able to use this, and sometimes Luffy would see him in their room, spinning it over and under and over again, experimenting on how best to compensate for the adaptations made to it.

He can see the coastline in the distance. The ocean glitters blue, a fierce juxtaposition with the orange-red sky and the chunks of magma raining down from it. The Moby Dick jolts back as a piece of burning rock narrowly misses the deck, and Luffy sees pirates fighting against the blue and white clad marines.

"Let's go," the birdie says, and Luffy nods, running faster. They burst out of the forest, and as if in slow motion, the red suited man standing on the battleship turns, and looks straight at Luffy and Marco holding Sabo. He assesses them for a moment, sharp eyes raking down them, gnawing on a cigar. His right hand clenches down on a den den mushi.

Luffy hears birdie curse under his breath and give him a shove.

"Go," he murmurs under his breath. Luffy doesn't tear his eyes away from Sabo. The red suited man jumps off the ship, only barely losing his balance as the ground rumbles underneath him, and Luffy looks up to see- what did Sabo call him again- Whitebeard glowering at the man, standing on the deck of his own ship, a soft bubble of white light pulsing around his hand.

The man glowers back. Whitebeard raises his weapon.

"Go!" And Luffy _oofs_ in surprise as Sabo's sudden weight comes down on his arms. Luffy looks at the birdie, and nods determinedly, diving into the fray. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the birdie disappear back into the forest.

Akainu strains to see the red blur weaving its way through the forces, and from his vantage point, he can see the Whitebeard forces making a slow but steady retreat to their ship. Another chunk of magma falls close to the pirates he's after, but misses by a hair's breadth. Resisting the urge to curse Cipher Pol, he lets his gaze wander, hoping to catch a glimpse of Fire Fist, but so far, the pirate has been eluding him.

There. A burst of fire in the woods. Should he go after Roger's son or the Leviathan? Two against one, with the injured Bloody Gentleman in the Ghost's arms. Besides, he had official orders. Sighing, he focuses his attention on the Leviathan. There would be time enough for Fire Fist later. He strides in their direction, trailing thick magma behind him, and his most trusted subordinates follow him, ready to block any escape the pirates may see fit to make. His arm hisses as it melts and melds into the shape of a fist, and he holds it up, preparing to strike. Absolute Justice, after all.

Ace claps his hands together in a gesture of finality, sweeping a glance over the carnage. The smoke is still thick, wafting through the air, but Ace is relatively sure that they're all at least incapacitated. So he isn't prepared when a figure shoots out of the smoke, with closed eyes and charred hair and uniform.

The marine's arm leaps forward, a gleaming, though slightly dulled sword grasped so tightly in his hand that his knuckles turn white. An obvious intention to stab him. Ace uses the marine's shoulders as a springboard, vaulting over his head to land on his back, pinning him too the ground. Simultaneously, they make noises of discomfort, Ace because of his shoulder and unfortunately broken leg, and the marine from some rather nasty burn marks. Ace's mouth twists into wry amusement.

His captive is squirming, but the sword has skittered away too far out of reach, and with blazing eyes, twists his head around to glare at Ace.

"Do it then, Fire Fist."

Ace wonders if he's ever done something to this marine- he racks his memory the same face and draws a blank, but even for a marine, the sheer hate in those eyes, directed at him, cannot be just because of the fact he just defeated him. It can't have been because of his father, such a low ranking marine should not know about his heritage. But maybe…

The Phoenix appears on the edge of his vision, sprinting towards him. Ace rolls off the marine.

"My brothers had better be okay," he glares. The Phoenix nods, gestures, impatient. The marine bites his lip, preventing accusations from bubbling out.

"They're fine, yoi," he says. "We need to go."

Ace nods, although he can't escape the disconcerting feeling of eyes boring into the back of his head.

Sabo can barely see, but he can recognize the feeling of being carried, and despite everything, he just can't get over the feeling of embarrassment. Unfortunately, the embarrassment was currently being overlaid by overwhelming panic. He could make out the traces of a straw hat and sandals, so Luffy was awake and fine, but where was Ace, and why was there magma everywhere?

The Moby Dick is just ahead, grooved ridges prominent against the smooth wood, and Sabo figures they can make a clean escape. There's a clear path right there. But nope. Because they were born under the unluckiest star in the world, Akainu just happens to land in front of them, mere metres away from the ship. Sabo resists the urge to groan.

 _No! Idiot! Run!_ He thinks as he feels Luffy skid to a stop. Luckily, his brother doesn't seem particularly inclined to fight the Admiral, and is currently scanning for escape routes. In front of him, he can already see some of the Whitebeard pirates heading up the gangplank onto the ship, fights beginning to reach their conclusions.

His vision swims very unhelpfully, accompanied with a feeling of nausea. Akainu advances threateningly towards Luffy, a fist raised high. Luffy makes a break for it, diving for a gap that opens between the marines encircling them, but an explosion nearly takes his limbs off, and he stops in his tracks.

The magma comes down.

A Whitebeard, Diamond Jozu, blocks it, half his body crystalline. Luffy flashes a grateful smile at him and sprints to the ship, leaping on the deck in a single swift motion, and Akainu glares, unable to move due to the shifting, splitting ground and the onslaught of a Commander. Luffy turns on his heel and points to him, gesturing animatedly. Pirates are beginning to head back to the ship, and he can see them jumping up in dozens. Where was Ace?

"Let's go, yoi," The Phoenix says as they make their way to the edge of the forest. He scans the rapidly thinning crowd, grimacing. "Okay. We're going to have to make a break for it, because I sense Cipher Pol behind us- they've managed to escape the defenses we set up."

Ace scowls. "I would've thought the double wall of fire and flaming pit I set up would have been enough," he says.

"This is Cipher Pol," the Phoenix notes. "Anyways. Ready?"

Ace nods, and they plunge into the open.

Akainu sees them immediately, and the magma hisses as it crashes into the ground, tearing up clods of dirt.

"Get Fire Fist!" he hears Akainu shout, and the marines all rush towards them. His vision wavers, heart pounding in his ears. The front of his shirt is sticky with blood. The Phoenix groans.

"I'm sick of this, yoi," he says, and looks at Ace. "I hope you won't mind this later."

Ace is just about to ask him what in the world he's going on about when the Phoenix grabs him by the collar and takes off into the sky.

"PUT ME DOWN!" he flails, and the Phoenix swerves right as a clump of magma shoots into the sky. The Moby Dick has pulled out of the harbor, and the Phoenix puts on a burst of speed, carving an arc through the sky until they're directly over the mast of the ship. Ace can't deny that flying feels _good_ , although his senses are somewhat numbed by a combination of blood loss, fatigue, and suppressing his narcolepsy.

To his great regret, Ace definitely feels it when the Phoenix tosses him onto the deck before landing next to him, limbs shrinking back into humanoid form.

"OW!" he shouts, cursing the Phoenix. He stops short as he feels the hazy fuzziness of narcolepsy taking over, desperately hoping the Whitebeards will chalk it up to blood loss. Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep, he chants in his head.

He falls asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

**Woohoo! Fifteen chapters! (Even though they're short.)**

 **BlackthornAshe- …that escalated quickly. You know, I really hope Oda kills Akainu. Really.**

 **Flowerbelle- Glad you approve. :)**

 **Arxhaelogist- Personally, I think that Garp has narcolepsy, pretty sure Luffy doesn't though. I think how it works is that the gene is inherited, but only a few people actually develop it. And yeah. Literally everything triggered Ace back in the good old days when he was *coughalivecough*. And no, you didn't miss anything. Hm, I guess they did get away from Akainu pretty easily. Thanks for the feedback!**

Luffy follows Ace and the nurses into the infirmary, sparing a backwards glance behind him as the ship rocks violently. A spray of water shoots into the air as the cannonball drops into the sea, sliced into two neat sections. The birdie is fighting the magma man, wings flapping and talons slashing, blue fire healing spreading over wounds as soon as they come.

"Marco!" someone shouts. "Get on here! We're leaving!"

The birdie- Marco, throws a last kick and a snarl before diving back to the ship, which was already halfway out of the bay. Luffy hears someone yelp as a chunk of magma scorches the side of the wooden railing, and slipping through the infirmary door, he pushes through the medical apparatus and nurses and rows of white, sterilized beds to find his brothers.

It takes some scouring and quite a few irritated nurses who obviously don't recognize him, but then he catches a glimpse of a top hat, a pipe, and an orange cowboy hat, and he grins widely. His grin drops when he sees what's happening. Ace fell asleep again, and is currently snoring away, but there are tubes attached to Sabo's face and bandages around his neck, and Luffy decides that it looks unnatural. Wrong.

The birdie bursts in, trailed by three nurses as he skillfully navigates the maze of cots. His eyes immediately land on Luffy, and Luffy jumps up to confront him.

"Is he going to be okay?" he demands, listening to Sabo's harsh, barely there breathing in the background. The birdie looks grim.

"I don't know, yoi," he says, rubbing his forehead. "We need to know what poisoned him or else we can't-"

"I know!" Luffy shouts, and the nurses make a shushing motion. A snake jumps to the front of his mind, banded with black stripes and poison green eyes. The birdie holds a hand up to prevent the nurse from advancing.

"Really? Can you describe it, yoi?"

And Luffy does, rattling off an exact description, right down to the last stripe. The birdie frowns and turns to the nurses.

"Do we have the antivenom for that, yoi?"

The nurses look thoughtful, and Luffy wants to tell them to hurry up, but that would be unfair.

"We might. I'll check."

And one of them rushes out, disappearing down the hallway. The birdie looks at him and rubs his eyes.

"Do you need anything, yoi?"

Luffy cocks his head and considers. He knows Sabo and Ace will be hungry when they wake up- he refuses to consider the other possibility- so he gives the birdie a wide grin and says,

"Meat!"

One of the nurses looks up from attending to a pirate, and fixing a glare at him, runs eyes up and down his frame.

"He does not need meat, Marco. He needs immediate medical attention."

"I'm fine, shishishi!" Luffy casts a worried glance at Sabo.

* * *

Ace is underwater. That is the only possible explanation for the state he's in now. Every part of his body feels like it's weighed down with seastone, and slowly, painstakingly, he pulls his eyelids open. White blurs before his eyes, and a dry voice reaches his ears.

"Feeling better, yoi?"

Not Sabo. Not Luffy. He stiffens, instantly on guard, and he feels the fire itching to burst under his skin, drowned by exhaustion. Wait.

"Phoenix?" he asks, catching himself from saying _Marco_. "Where are my brothers?"

"One's beside you, yoi. The other one couldn't sit through a five minute check up, and if I'm correct, is probably in the mess hall right now." The events of the past day comes rushing back, and Ace lets loose a stream of curses in his head, swinging his feet off the bed. He can still feel his fire running tingles under his skin. "And let me just tell you, yoi," The Phoenix continues, "you have a lot of explaining to do."

Ace turns his head and swallows, only to wince as he's met with the sight of an unconscious Sabo, face scrunched up in pain. His brother was not having a good time, by the looks of it.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbles.

Sabo, he thinks. You had better wake up soon.

There's a sudden loud crash, and Ace grins as he hears his brother's voice. And Luffy is bouncing over to them, grinning and holding a tray of meat, another cut of sea king still in his mouth. He swallows, and his neck bulges as the meat goes down still more or less whole. Ace hopes that Marco won't remember this.

"I got this for you!" he says, dumping it in Ace's lap. Ace sits up, ignoring the jolt of pain in his shoulder in favor of smiling back at him. Ace is about to thank him and maybe karate chop him for being careless, but then Luffy's gaze lands on Sabo. Seeming to come to a decision, he hops over to Sabo and pokes him, disregarding the Phoenix's noise of warning, and Sabo's eyes flutter open. His blue eyes stay muddy for a moment before clearing, and he grunts, "Luffy."

Luffy beams. Sabo covers his eyes with his arm.

"What is it, Luffy?"

"I got you meat!"

Sabo immediately perks up at that, and not before shooting Ace a warning look, pushes himself up on his hands, not before grabbing his hat from the nightstand. Seeming to notice Marco, he tips it towards him before returning it on his head, and he reaches over to get his pipe. Ace's sharp eyes catch him rubbing the end of it, always a sign of anxiety.

Shoving a slice of the food into his mouth, he stands up, revealing his torn tailcoat. Ace catches Sabo's eye, a silent question, and Sabo nods.

"If you want answers, you can always ask," Sabo bids, and turns to leave, Ace and Luffy with him.

"I do, yoi," Marco says, and Sabo smiles, the smile that sends shivers up even Ace's spine. His brother is _scary_. "I think we would all like answers," he says, and Sabo no doubt hears the invitation.

"Why don't you lead the way then, Phoenix?" he says.

"You sure, yoi?"

"If I wasn't sure, you wouldn't have asked," Sabo says. He seems to remember something, suddenly. "However, I have some business to take care of, so we'll be there at- " he looks at Ace, and Ace swoops in, doing some fast mental calculations in his head.

"Seven," he says, not missing a beat.

Ace limps out of the infirmary, his brothers right beside him. As soon as they round the corner, Sabo speeds up, heading for their room.

"What's happening?" Luffy asks, and Sabo slows, ruffling his brother's hair.

"Nothing, Luffy." Ace pushes open the door to their room, and Sabo catches his eye before turning to Luffy and saying,

"Hey, want to go get food?"

"Are you sure it's nothing?" Luffy asks, ignoring the other question, and Ace and Sabo both know that if they say it's nothing, Luffy will believe them.

"Yup," Sabo says. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"Still up for the food?" Ace asks, and Luffy grins up at them, eyes wide and trusting.

"Yeah."

"I'll go with you," he says to Luffy, and Luffy cocks his head to the side.

"What about you, Sabo?" he asks, directing the question at the blond.

"Not in the mood. Bring some back for me, will ya?"

"Sure!"

* * *

Sabo settles in front of the den den mushi set up in his room, quickly bringing to mind some of the numbers. He has to do this fast before Luffy and Ace ate their fill- Ace couldn't distract Luffy forever. He punches in the number for the Revolutionary Army.

"Yes?" Dragon.

"Hey. This is Sabo."

"What happened?"

"Just like you predicted. By the way, I hope your most recent campaign was a success."

"Went perfectly."

"Then I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for you to have confirmed the information I needed?"

"No, it wouldn't be."

"So the outcome?" Sabo asks, keeping any trace of hope from leaking into his voice.

"You were correct, of course."

"So were you. Although when you warned me, I didn't quite expect something like this. I expect you know what went on."

"…Is the Leviathan unharmed? He is an important part of our plan, after all." Sabo's eyes narrow.

"Of course," Sabo says.

"I didn't mean to offend you."

"None taken. Anything else?"

"I should think not." Recognizing it for a dismissal, Sabo allows wry amusement to slip into his tone.

"I'll see you later."

"Someday," Dragon agrees, and a clank signifies that Dragon has hung up. Sabo punches in another number. Luffy really was nothing like his father, was he?

"Hey, Garp."

"Brat. What is it this time?"

"I wouldn't have thought you so woefully uninformed, gramps." Booming laughter resounds through the den den mushi, and Sabo winces, holding it away from his ear.

"So what's happening on your side of things?"

Sabo can just imagine Garp's frown. "Sengoku seems willing to turn a blind eye, but the others aren't quite so forgiving."

"Of course," Sabo scoffs.

"And you probably predicted this already, but they're not going to stop until you're captured. Or at least Luffy is. The Leviathan is just too dangerous, you see, now that they've found him. Ace would be quite a big catch too, and let me just say this, there are an astonishing number of marines with animosity towards you due to your…unconventional methods."

"Understatement."

Garp snorts. "There has been unrest lately, and I have a feeling Sengoku is planning something and not telling me. No, scratch that, he's definitely planning something and not telling me. Dragon's on the move, too."

"No need to tell me that, old man."

"Just…try not to die, okay?" Unconsciously, Sabo reaches up to touch the scarred skin of his eye.

"Turning sentimental, geezer?"

"Of course not. One of you three brats dying would just be a waste of my precious time." Sabo hears footsteps in the corridor, and he quickly says a farewell before slamming the receiver down to open the door on Ace and Luffy, splattered with food. Luffy grins at him through the meat juice sluicing down his face, looking unnervingly like a serial killer. Ace raises a ale covered hand in a casual wave.

"…I don't even want to know," he says, and ushers them in.

Sabo catches Ace's eye, nodding surreptitiously. _Mission accomplished_.

* * *

Seven o clock comes too soon, but the trio is soon standing in front of what is known to be the Whitebeard negotiation room. Before Sabo can knock, Luffy is already twisting the handle and pushing the door fully open. The Phoenix stands and gives them a bow that is almost mocking.

"Make yourself at home, yoi," They step confidently into the room, completing the circle that the commanders made, not including a few empty chairs. "We think an explanation is needed."

"By all means, begin the interrogation," Sabo says, inclining his head, and the Phoenix gives them a dry glare.

"First things first, why is Akainu after you?" A commander- Haruta- asks, and Sabo smirks. This would be a piece of cake.

"I'm sure you've heard it before," Sabo says.

"All pirates are scum, we must be obliterated, destroy them all, yadda yadda yadda." Ace interjects.

"I really don't think that's the case, yoi."

"Orders from the World Government."

"And why would they do that?"

"Why wouldn't they?" The Phoenix opens his mouth to say something, but Sabo gets there first. "If you want answers, we only give them in a private audience."

Whitebeard's eyes narrow.

"I think that we've already entertained you three enough," Izo says.

"Let's humor them a bit more," Whitebeard says. "Marco, stay."

"But Pops-"

"I'll give them a chance."

It takes a few minutes for the Commanders to file out of the room, but when it is just them, the Phoenix, and Whitebeard, the room feels empty and intimidating.

"Have you ever heard of a top secret government experiment, known as only the Leviathan Experiment?"

The Phoenix shakes his head, as does Whitebeard.

"That's all I'm telling you. Besides the fact that you'd do well to keep this to yourself."

They walk out, and even injured and bandaged and alive purely because of an oath and hospitality bordering on _charity_ , they look as if the sun revolves around them. "Oh yeah," Ace tosses over his shoulder as an afterthought, and ruffles Luffy's hair. "This idiot is our brother, by the way. And the Ghost." Namur had said once that in a glance, a clash of gazes, you could tell all that made up a person. Marco is seeing the evidence of the truth of that statement in front of him right now, in Fire Fist's eyes. The trio leaves, closing the door behind them.

The Whitebeards left remaining have to admire the look that had appeared in Fire Fist's eyes then, the look that says _hurt him and I'll do worse than kill you. Hurt him and you'll wish you'd never been born. Because he's mine, and he's my brother._

Ah, overprotective brothers at their finest. Marco can sympathize.

"Pops, do you know anything about the Leviathan Experiment, yoi?" he asks.

"No," he says, looking thoughtful. "I wonder…"

"That was a challenge, captain. I don't know what the Bloody Gentleman has up his sleeve but…" he has to look up at his captain, but they stand on equal ground. Whitebeard chuckles.

"We accept."

Because that was a challenge, and a challenge the Whitebeards do not refuse. The door swings open again, and the commanders come back in.

"What did we miss?" Vista asks. Marco and Whitebeard are in perfect accord.

"Nothing much, yoi."


	16. Chapter 16

**Flowerbelle- No kidding. The ASL brothers have reached the pinnacle of brotherly overprotectiveness.**

 **BlackthornAshe- me too, but unfortunately...never mind. I will banish all thoughts of canon. Well, here you have some more Garp and Sengoku. And...what goat?**

 **SpadianTimeMage- Thanks! Unfortunately, I have no idea where this is going, so I cannot tell you if this is actually the tipping point. There's probably going to be a few more chapters at least, though.**

 **Arxhaelogist- Glad you find it interesting!**

"Have you found anything?" Marco shakes his head. "Not even in the official government records?"

"Not yet, yoi."

Whitebeard sighs, dropping down onto his chair. "The Bloody Gentleman's just playing with us now, and the Ghost…"

"Don't even get me started on the Ghost, yoi," Marco says. "Everything's just so suspicious. Why do they go to such lengths to keep the Ghost a complete secret, but then not react at all when he's finally revealed?"

Whitebeard hums. "Something must have changed."

Marco drops his head onto the desk. "There's only passing mention of a Leviathan Experiment in the World Government files, and that doesn't help us at all. But listen to this." He flips open a thick tome that Whitebeard identifies as a dictionary. "The Leviathan is a sea monster from the olden days that disappeared in the Void Century. Root word is livyathan, which stands for twisted or coiled in some type of dead language. Or it also means "big and powerful," but that's kind of included in the package, yoi."

Whitebeard regards the dictionary thoughtfully. "Interesting," he remarks.

"And I don't understand why the marines consider ASL so much of a threat, yoi. There's plenty of other pirates who are at least as powerful and have been accused of much more heinous crimes."

"It might have something to do with this Leviathan Experiment," Marco's captain comments. "They came here for Devil Fruit serum, didn't they, that Teach supposedly has? That's a World Government invention, but none of us know what it's used for. And suddenly this Leviathan Experiment shows up…that's not a coincidence. They have to be connected somehow."

Marco groans. "The Bloody Gentleman is just running us around in circles, isn't he? We don't even know what he wants. What does he work for? What do they work for?"

Whitebeard nods distractedly and stands, picking up his bisento with practiced ease. "By the way, get some sleep, Marco," he says as the door closes behind him.

 _The Leviathan Experiment…where have I heard that before?_

He closes his eyes and tries to think back.

* * *

Ace sits on the bed, Sabo on the floor, and Luffy is draped over the chair as they hold the first official ASL meeting since getting back from the island they were ambushed on.

"That's one attack in a little over a week," Sabo says, closing his eyes. "Who knows how much worse it's going to get?"

"And we still don't know where Teach is keeping the Devil Fruit serum," Ace says.

"We'll know soon."

Ace casts a quizzical look at his brother, who grins and tilts his head back to rest on the wall so that his hat shades his eyes.

"I cashed in a few favors that yesterday's fight brought in."

" _Sabo_." Ace accepts the fact that he will never quite know everything Sabo does, but this is pushing it.

"Come on, Ace. With the World Government as invested in our capture as they are, we were bound to get the attention of quite a few powerful people. We might as well take advantage of that."

Ace looks at Sabo, and his eyes smolder.

"I don't like it, Sabo. I really don't."

"I know, but- "

"But what?" A cheery voice interrupts them, and Sabo and Ace simultaneously turn to look at Luffy, who's bouncing up and down, brown eyes unreadable.

"Luffy," he begins, but stops as he realizes Luffy is staring straight at Ace with a dead serious expression that promises trouble.

"Ace, you promised!" Ace groans as he remembers what Luffy is talking about.

"Seriously, Luffy? You want to spar now?" Sabo asks. "Well, I'm officially not involved in this."

"Reason being?" Ace asks. Sabo only gives him a deadpan look.

"It's a rule, Ace. The least injured one fights, and unlike you stupid devil fruit user, I am affected by poison." Ace gives up and turns to plead with Luffy.

"We just got out of a fight with an admiral, you know. We nearly died. Multiple times. I broke my leg. I lost blood."

Luffy grins up at them, and Ace sighs.

"Then I might finally beat you!" their little brother chirps. "I'm definitely stronger than you now!" Sabo had to hand it to Luffy, he really did know which buttons to press.

" _Dream about it_ ," Ace growls, and leaps. Sabo shakes his head in despair. His poor, gullible brother.

"Don't forget," Sabo shouts at his best friend and brother cheerfully. "No Devil Fruit powers!" Said best friend and brother begins cursing him out viciously, and Sabo grins, issue forgotten for the moment.

* * *

"Fossa, it sounds like ASL is being assassinated in there."

"I see no blood."

The two commanders wince as a crash reaches their ears, sounding suspiciously like metal on wood.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go check it out?"

"Nah. Good riddance."

" _Curiel_."

"Come on, even you have to admit starving at sea isn't fun, which is exactly what will happen if they don't die. Burning to death is not preferable, either. All such problems will be negated if they are assassinated."

With a last glance at the door, the two commanders walk on.

* * *

Marshall D Teach paces in his room, gears in his brain shifting frantically. Everything else on his plan was set up- he just needed this last element, and patience had never been his strong suit.

" _Where is it. Where is it_."

He knew ASL had the Yami-Yami no Mi, Cipher Pol and Akainu had confirmed that much. But where were they keeping it? He stops in front of the desk and studies the map of the Grand Line, running a finger along the islands that made up the beginning of the New World. Sabaody, perhaps? But however much he guessed, there was no evidence that pointed to any of these islands. They were thorough, ASL, he could say that much. This was impossible. It was so close, within his reach, but just a fingertip, three pirates too far.

Maybe it was time to shrug off the cloak of Marshall D Teach, double agent and subordinate and Whitebeard pirate, and become Blackbeard, the pirate who would dominate the Grand Line and all the blues as Roger once had. With the help of the Dark Dark fruit, of course.

He weighs the decision and what it would entail.

It would mean cutting off the benefits from Akainu as official informant, of course, but maybe it would be worth it. But still…he slams his hands on the desk, breathing heavily. What if they didn't have the fruit? Then everything would be in vain.

"Teach?" his roommate asks cautiously, inching into the room. Marshall D Teach pastes a smile onto his face and turns to face his crewmate.

"Sorry, just frustrated." He was getting sick of these pirates, and he resists the urge to snarl.

* * *

Unfortunately, the fight had only lasted a mere ten minutes, ending with Luffy slamming into the wall and falling into a crumpled heap, but Ace seems to remember something, and the previous matter appears as if it is going to be dropped. Sabo appreciates it. Until he actually hears what it is that Ace has remembered.

"Sabo, do you even remember where the Dark Dark fruit is?" Ace asks. "I certainly don't."

Sabo snorts, years of habit keeping his anxiety from showing. "Of course, you idiot. You think I would forget something like that?"

"So where is it?" After some deliberation, Sabo answers. He would probably get his lights punched out for this, but...

"I sold it."

Ace freezes as his mind processes what that sentence means. "To who? For what?"

"Ace…" Sabo groans. He really, really, really doesn't want to talk about this right now, but Ace is relentless.

"Tell me. We've never hidden anything from you before." Luffy nods in agreement, shifting from his neutral position at the head of the triangle so he's on Ace's side, facing Sabo. Traitor, Sabo thinks, in a tone that even he recognizes as petulance.

"It's…different. I can't just-"

"Can't what?" It's Luffy who speaks this time, and he sighs.

"I sold it to Dragon."

"…you what?" Ace's voice is quiet and uneven, holding contained rage within its depths, and Luffy rests a hand on Ace's arm, settling those penetrating eyes on Sabo.

"I sold it to Dragon," he repeats, averting his eyes.

"Why!" Ace explodes. "And I'm not even going to ask how you got into contact with the leader of the Revolutionaries, but…"

"It's not what you think, Ace," Sabo says, struggling to keep his voice even.

"Then what?"

"I traded it for information on the Leviathan Experiment and Devil Fruit serum, Ace. Where do you think I get all that information? I compiled the list, Ace, which is a feat unto itself. You're not the only one targeted here. I've ruffled quite a few feathers, and the World Government doesn't like the things I know. I have to take risks." Ace glares at him.

"Then what are you going to do when the official trade off comes?" Ace asks. "We both know who Marshall D Teach is affiliated with."

" _If_ the official trade off comes," Sabo mutters, earning him double glares from both Ace and Luffy. "I'll get it back from Dragon somehow."

Luffy regards him, and Sabo doesn't doubt that Luffy knows, somehow.

"Okay!" his little brother says, and the conversation is left at that. Or so he thinks.

* * *

"You know," Whitebeard says the next day, "maybe we could try befriending the trio."

Marco looks at him with a dash of incredulity. "Pops, have you heard the rumors, yoi?"

"I won't do anything that puts the crew in danger," his captain says, by way of answer.

"So they're a threat, yoi." Whitebeard nods.

"We don't know what they want, why they're even here. We don't know anything about them, and that's not good. Knowledge is power, after all."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, yoi?"

"Yes."

Marco is, admittedly, interested in the trio. Perhaps interested was a bit of an understatement. His fellow commanders insisted he was borderline obsessed. For good reason, however. All three have something heavy weighing on them, and Marco can sense it, almost a shroud of death. One of the perks of the phoenix zoan happens to be heightened emotion sensitivity- there was a reason he acts as 'ship psychologist', after all, although nobody on the ship will actually admit to it.

He tells the trio this, when he meets them in the hallway, about the cloak that hangs heavy over them, permeating the air, bitter and repugnant.

"So, yoi?" The trio is silent.

"Why did you tell us?" The Bloody Gentleman inquires, not looking in the least perturbed. Marco shrugs.

"Just curious," he says, and turns to leave, haunted with a vague sense of disappointment. Surprisingly enough, the Ghost answers, stopping him in his tracks, and when he looks back, the young pirate is _smiling_.

"It's a blessing."

"Why, yoi?" Marco had asked, puzzled.

"Because," the Ghost said, patiently, "we'd rather live under a cloak, together, than be burdened in the light alone." Fire Fist gives a little smirk at that.

It was a little bit cheesy, Marco thinks as he scrutinizes the pirate. But true all the same.

"…I think you're right, yoi," he says, and the Ghost beams, looking far too young to be on this ship, under that cloak.

"Actually, Phoenix," The Bloody Gentleman says. "I'd like some answers for myself. Feel free to not answer."

"Go ahead, yoi," Marco says, interest piqued.

"If I may ask, what was your reasoning in bringing us aboard this ship? And more importantly, keeping us here?"

Marco stops, takes a deep breath, and considers. "Of course, it all started when you asked to see our captain. Inviting you onboard was common courtesy, yoi. And then there was the deal, but…our captain likes you three, for some obscure reason."

"I see." And the conversation is left at that. There is a wealth, a lifetime of questions in those words, but Marco suddenly can't see the trio's eyes.

He's beginning to discover the advantages of wearing a hat.

* * *

"Admiral," the current Fleet Admiral says through clenched teeth, "next time you start this type of mission, inform me." Each word is clipped and short, precise and full of rage.

Akainu takes a deep breath around the cigar in his mouth. "Cipher Pol approved it, and we don't have time for fooling around, Sengoku. ASL must be routed immediately."

Sengoku sighs and clasps his hands together. "Go on then," he says with a dismissive wave, "explain."

"The Ghost's the Leviathan, for one thing, extremely volatile, and no one knows what the Experiment is capable of. The Bloody Gentleman has so much secret information he could blackmail half of Marine HQ into submission. Add that onto connections with Dragon. And Fire Fist is the son of Roger and a D, to boot."

"No," Sengoku groans. "Explain why in the world you thought it would be a good idea to attack the Whitebeard pirates."

"Cipher Pol said they'd handle it," the Admiral growls.

"Fine." The Fleet Admiral stands up. "Go."

"You'll regret this, Sengoku," the Red Dog says, and spins on his heel. The bamboo panels slide open, and another barrel chested figure makes their way inside as Akainu makes his way out.

Sengoku slumps in his chair. "Garp."

The Vice Admiral raises a hand in a half wave, biting down viciously on a rice cracker, causing crumbs to explode in all directions.

"So how are things going?" he asks, slinging an arm over the back of the couch.

Sengoku glares.

"Fine, fine, I won't taunt you. I just wanted to inform you that Dragon has successfully liberated another kingdom further up in Paradise, close to the New World."

"If I were you, Garp, I'd be more careful with wording."

"Whatever."

"Sometimes, you know, I think you'd be better off as a pirate."

"As if you'd survive without me."

"I'd survive perfectly fine. Certainly much better than if you were always here. I'd actually live a long, healthy life."

Garp throws his head back and laughs. "Well," he says, and sobers. "Since you need me so much, I don't suppose you could tell me; what exactly is the Leviathan?"

"Garp, you do not know the meaning of tact. No."

"Please?"

"No."

" _Sengoku_."

"Trust me on this, Garp. You don't want to know."

"You know, so why can't I." It was a statement.

"Not even the Admirals do. I'm not going to tell you, so drop it."

"Not even the Admirals know, eh?" the Vice Admiral muses.

"Garp, what are you planning?" Sengoku asks with a touch of wariness.

"Bye!"

"Garp!"

* * *

"I don't understand him," Ace says quietly, holding his head in his hands, as the Phoenix makes his way around the corner and Sabo confirms he is no longer in earshot. "I just don't."

Luffy fixes him with a stare. "The same way you don't understand us." Ace's head jerks up, eyes still shadowed by his hat, looking shaken.

"Luffy-"

"Seriously," Sabo snorts. "Just agree with him and save us all the trouble, will you?"

"So what are you suggesting?" Ace snaps. "That we _trust_ them?"

"Of course not!" Sabo snaps back.

"Sure," Luffy says. Sabo and Ace both swivel their heads around to look at Luffy incredulously.


	17. Chapter 17

**Did you really think that all the late night spying adventures ASL was having would lead to nothing? Mwahahahaha! Anyways, thanks for the reviews, favourites, follows, and everything.**

 **AndurilofTolkein- Thanks!**

 **Flowerbelle- sometimes it can be so satisfying, you know? And thanks for the compliment.**

 **Trich- I'm glad the past few chapters have been achieving the intended effect.**

 **Blackthorn Ashe- Luffy is complicated, to say the least. And I never knew about Sengoku's goat. Well, I'm going to see if I can include that. There's going to be some more spy Sabo in this chapter.**

 **Mel72000- Thanks!**

"If you're ever going to start, you might as well start now," Luffy says, shrugging.

"Look how well that turned out last time," Sabo scoffs, and Luffy flinches back. "I'm sorry," he says quickly. "I didn't mean that."

"No," Luffy says, as if making an observation, "you didn't."

"Well," Ace says, "we'll always trust you."

"What if that's not enough?" Luffy challenges.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

The trio head back to their room, taking a shortcut through a claustrophobic closet turned tunnel to the corridor they need. Sabo lets out a sigh as they close the door behind them, before sliding into the chair in front of the desk.

"On that again?" It's Ace, Luffy having plopped down on the bed, shuffling cards with enough force to break them.

"I'm almost done, you know," Sabo says, tapping a pen against his chin. He begins translating, page after page after page. It's past midnight as he begins translating the middle portion of the stolen papers, line after line. A name, familiar, stops him in his tracks, and his heart climbs to his throat. Who would have known?

"Ace," Sabo whispers. His brother is immediately awake, sitting up on the mound of bedding transferred from the bed to the floor. "Look at this."

His brother stands up and makes his way to Sabo in a fashion that wouldn't disturb the snoring Luffy. He reads the line of translated script scrawled on a blank sheet of paper, and his eyes turn flinty.

* * *

"I know I've heard it before," Whitebeard says, tapping a finger against his knee. "Somewhere…Leviathan Experiment…"

"Take it easy, Pops," Marco says. "It'll come to you eventually, yoi. We could perhaps ask Fire Fist if you really can't figure it out. I mean, it was his brother who told us in the first place, and, well, he's not too bad. We can always Den Den Mushi some of our contacts if it comes to it…" He returns his attention to his paperwork.

"Den Den Mushi…" Whitebeard muses. He snaps his fingers as he remembers, suddenly, finally, after an entire day of thinking, and Marco winces at the thunderous noise. His poor eardrums. "I didn't think it was important, at the time." Marco raises his head, curiosity piqued.

"You remembered, yoi?"

Whitebeard nods. "Remember when we intercepted that call from Marine HQ a while back? For some reason, it passed right through the range of our den den mushi, and the person operating it at the time thought it interesting enough. Apparently it said something about the Leviathan Experiment and a host."

"A host," Marco muses. "That's interesting, to say the least, yoi. But it still doesn't answer the question. What is it, exactly?" The question is followed by silence before it's pierced by a voice, young but soft and definitely, unfortunately familiar.

"Yes. What is it? That's the question." Marco stiffens, and looking over, sees Pops do the same. It's the Bloody Gentleman, who has somehow managed to find his way into their room without tripping their haki and is now leaning against the wall. He tips his hat in their direction with a mocking flourish before placing it back on his head, adjusting it so that it shadows his eyes.

"How-" Marco narrows his eyes. "It would appear you have more talents than I previously thought, yoi." The Bloody Gentleman pulls himself upright, and Marco is reminded that though they have fought together, exchanged words together, lived together, they are still enemies. ASL will not hesitate to strike them down, so they must not, either.

"There's a lot you don't know," the Bloody Gentleman says, and the voice is nonchalant.

"So," Pops says, ignoring the previous comment, "you don't know what the Leviathan Experiment is, either."

"I know more than you." It's answer enough. "I've heard your crewmates talking, you know. About us. You hide quite a lot of things from them, don't you? Even your most trusted commanders?" Whitebeard growls at the implication. "But I don't blame you." The Bloody Gentleman smiles, razor sharp. "After all, I don't tell my brothers everything, either, and the youngest of us doesn't even bother to hide the fact that he has a secret."

"So you're not invincible after all, yoi." Marco says dryly. "How hard it must have been for you to admit such a thing." Whitebeard shoots him a look, but he's too tired for this, and all this walking in circles has made the Bloody Gentleman fall from his 'tolerable' list. To his credit, the Bloody Gentleman doesn't seem ruffled.

"Harder than you think."

"So why are you here, yoi?" Marco asks, jumping straight into the heart of the matter.

"The Whitebeards know people. It's a well known fact. And I just happen to know a particular person you keep tabs on."

"You got into our files, didn't you." It's a statement, and Marco knows his captain well enough to decipher the anger beneath the words. He doesn't even bother to ask how, though Marco knows he is wondering. Their files are coded, and only the captain, first mate, and two commanders know the key. "You could do quite a lot of damage with that, as I'm sure you know already."

"I won't," the pirate says. He fixes two blue eyes on them, glinting with cunning and the satisfaction of fighting a fight he knows he will win. "But I might."

"Is this blackmail, yoi?" Marco has dealt with this many, many times in his pirate career, but he has to remind himself- this isn't just any pirate. The Bloody Gentleman leaves a trail of the dead in his wake, pirates ranging from the most puny rookies to several hundred million berri ones.

"You could consider it such. But I prefer to think of it as the consequences of failing to protect information properly. Although I have to admit, that code was a tough one. Took me more than a few nights."

"Unlike you, yoi," Marco shoots back, "we would rather not kill every single person who manages to discover something about us."

"Yes," the Bloody Gentleman says. "You'd rather keep them close."

"Ends and means," his captain says quietly. "It's a more civilized method that doesn't garner us a reputation like yours."

"To each their own, I suppose," the Bloody Gentleman says, and his eyes sharpen. "So. Do you recognize this name?"

"We're pirates," Marco interrupts before the pirate can say anything. "We're not obligated to answer you, yoi."

The Bloody Gentleman's mouth quirks, bitter and full of bottled up regret. "Spoken like a true pirate. But I think you'll want to answer."

"So who is it?" His captain answers, and Marco knows him well enough to tell he's interested in this new development. Years at sea as one of the Yonko has given them the mindset that the entire world can be changed at one of their whims, and while that is mostly true, it is foolhardy to think they can get out of everything unharmed.

But Marco has to admit, he's interested too. There's a pregnant pause before the Bloody Gentleman speaks, and Marco just knows he's reveling in the name he's about to deliver.

"Sienta Byrne."

Whitebeard growls at the name, and Marco feels a almost forgotten stab of anger that never quite left him. "How do you know him, yoi?" he asks instead.

"Reasons I'd rather not say," the Bloody Gentleman says, and Marco doesn't blame him. It's been years and still he'd rather not think of the first time he'd met the man.

"Are you associated with him, yoi?" Marco asks, instantly on alert. Memories flash through his mind- corpses missing entire organs, bodies stained with blood, screaming.

"Not in the way we wish to be," he says, and Marco catches the 'we' in the sentence. He nearly lets out a breath of relief. "Honestly, I don't understand why anyone would want to associate with the man, but they have their reasons." The Bloody Gentleman's eyes are far away, and Marco doesn't doubt he's revisiting a thought, or a memory, but he does doubt the pirate's intentions.

"We do know him," Whitebeard says. "We have one of us constantly by his side, in fact. And not in a good way."

"Interesting," the Bloody Gentleman says, "because many people don't seem to bother with him."

Marco narrows his eyes at the blatant display of all of ASL's connections. "I can only think of a few groups with enough power to 'bother with him', as you so aptly put it, yoi."

The Bloody Gentleman shrugs. "He is kept quite secret, isn't he?"

"What business could you possibly have with him?" Pops asks. "He only deals with the most secretive, controversial-"

"-government experiments," the Bloody Gentleman cuts in.

"Government experiments, yoi…" Marco trails off, and another label jumps to the front of his mind. "Leviathan Experiment." He leans forward on his chair. "Why are you telling us this, yoi?"

The Bloody Gentleman smiles, the smug, self satisfied smirk of a cat, and reclines back, slinging his pipe over his shoulders. Some point during the conversation, he had managed to pick up a chair. "Just following the advice of a sibling."

"That's not it, and you know it."

The Bloody Gentleman shrugs, not even bothering to feign surprise or guilt. "Well, you caught me. I was hoping you could let me in on the location of this particular piece of scum." The request is flagrant, direct, and Marco feels himself being thrown off track again. The young pirate goes from subtlety to bluntness to an ostentatious flaunt of power without missing a beat. Marco wonders where and why he learned.

"Why, yoi? Why should we? What would we gain from it?"

"They do say revenge is a dish best served cold," the Bloody Gentleman remarks. "And I might let you partake in it." Marco knows what the Bloody Gentleman is offering- they've been offered the same many times before, and every time, save one, Whitebeard answered with the same statement.

"We don't seek revenge." Whitebeard says.

"Really now? If I were in your position, I certainly would have a long time ago." _Our_ _files_ , Marco thinks. They would have told him everything, and he mentally berates himself for not checking on them.

"We're not you." Whitebeard's voice is calm, controlled, and sometimes Marco wonders how he does it. "It was a time ago."

"Oh well," the Bloody Gentleman says, and Marco reflects on the cynical worldview that the young pirate has, unnatural in such a youthful body.

"But that does not mean we would not like to see him brought to justice, as the World Government seems unwilling to do so. We will tell you his location." Marco glances at his captain as his eyes glint.

"Thank you," the Bloody Gentleman says. "His condemnation will have to wait a while, though, as I need to take care of a few matters first. I'm sure you won't mind." He turns on his heel, coattails flaring, and slides his pipe back to the straps attached to the back of his clothes. Before the Bloody Gentleman steps out of the doorway, he stops, and tips his hat down to hide the edges of a smile. "You're not too bad yourself, you know."

Marco watches as he walks away, footsteps resounding on the wooden planks of the hallway.

"How long has he been listening, yoi?"

Whitebeard is staring at the doorway, a conniving smile tickling his moustache. Let it never be said that Whitebeard could not strategize and deceive- the elaborate schemes the captain would create to smuggle sake into his room were plentiful and almost ridiculously crafty. And Marco has faith in his captain.

* * *

Sabo has to keep a grin from blooming on his face as he quickly strides to their room- wait till Ace hears this! He throws open the door and is met with two expectant faces.

"Mission accomplished," he says. "They are keeping track of Sienta Byrne." At the name, Luffy sucks in a breath, and Ace rests a hand between their little brother's shoulder blades.

"Wonderful," Ace says, pulling Luffy close, and a smirk settles on his face, but Sabo frowns, as he weighs the facts. Unfortunately, Sabo was pretty sure the opposing party had the advantage right now, and certainly more numbers, even if they weren't exactly united. ASL didn't have allies, after all, just temporary treaties of peace.

"I think we might have to do a bit of memory digging," Sabo says, reluctant. Ace opens his mouth, but Sabo holds up his hand. "Hear me out. We can't rely on the Whitebeards to help, and Sienta Byrne has a distinct advantage over us, mentally, at least, and he's reputed to be quite strong, too. However, the World Government will want to pretend that they did not know of this project, and really, they aren't directly involved. If we can find evidence as to the existence of the Leviathan and the World Government and Sienta Byrne's involvement in it, we can hold it over their heads." He looks at his brothers.

"It's not like I like this either," he adds.

Luffy grimaces, but nods. Ace looks ready to object, but Luffy shakes his head.

"Just to find out anything we can about him. I want seeing him to be a last ditch resort."

"I'll do it," Luffy says, and sits down across from Sabo. Ace stands up.

"Wait here. I'll get some food." He returns with a bottle of water and a tray of meat, and Sabo nods appreciatively.

"Just try," Sabo urges. "You don't have to."

"I want to, though," Luffy says. Luffy can feel him shift to place both hands on his shoulders. The warmth steadies him, and Ace watches them cautiously, within arm's reach should anything go wrong. "Breathe."

Luffy does, deep, regular breaths, as close as he can get to Sabo's example.

"Now, try to remember."

 _A white room, sterile lights that shine a cold, plain yellow._

"Come on, Luffy."

 _Metal. Glass. A needle, glinting, shimmering like quicksilver as the man in the white coat raises it up, and the light hits it just right. The man smiles- no, leers,, mask obscuring his mouth, but he can see high, arching eyebrows, slick, straight black hair, and cold eyes like chips of obsidian. "This won't be too bad," he reassures, but it's more of a taunt. "After all, you can't feel pain if you're dead."_

Luffy opens his eyes and sucks in a big breath.

"Do you need-" Luffy shakes his head and closes his eyes again.

 _Seastone handcuffs, strapping him to the chair that tilts at an angle, that would have been comfortable but for the cursed stone draining his energy. The needle comes down, and Luffy's muscles convulse as he struggles, and suddenly strong hands are pinning him to the chair._

 _Pain, beyond that of a simple prick of a needle. The world explodes in a flash of colour, and he thinks he can hear roaring like the sound of a waterfall distant in the background. He looks down, barely managing to bypass the strap around his neck, and sees the skin of his hand bubbling._

" _Well. Look at that. The little shrimp actually survived." Another man enters the room, clad in the same white coat. Luffy only sees a glimpse of freezing blue eyes before shudders rack his body, he feels like his skin is peeling off, and he screams._

" _This is even better." Luffy can feel the man's scrutiny, even through the pain. " I think we might have found our candidate, partner."_

Luffy's eyes snap open, and he just realizes he is shaking, inhaling entire gulps of air.

"Did it work?" Sabo asks, hope in his features.

Luffy shakes his head, and wordlessly, Ace hands him a cup of water, which he downs immediately. Sabo scoots closer to him, and he leans on his brother's arm, waiting for the panic to pass.

"It's the drug," Sabo says. "It's still blocking the memories."

"But Sienta Byrne," Ace says,

"-should be able to unlock it, and even if he can't he knows what the Leviathan is. He was half in charge of this project, after all." Ace nods.

"And in the meantime-" Sabo finishes the sentence.

"We stick to the original plan. Devil Fruit serum."

"It's getting worse, you know. It's coming back faster than ever after each dose."

"I know. We need a battle plan. And I'll probably want to meet with Whitebeard again."

Ace nods, pensive, and he looks straight at Sabo. "Be careful," he says, and although those words do little to fill in the space between them, he knows Sabo can understand.

"Of course," his brother says, without missing a beat, and goes back to contemplating his pipe. Ace speculates if it's so that he doesn't have to meet his brother's eyes. Sabo raises the metal up for Ace's approval. "What do you think about sticking poison in this thing?" And then everything is back to normal and Ace is in engineer mode, turning Sabo's idea over in his head.

"Cool!" Luffy says, eyes sparkling. Ace comes to a decision.

"Sure," Ace says. "We'll figure this out, won't we?"

"Yeah," is the immediate reply. "We can do it."

Ace isn't reassured, because although the first part rang with truth, the second sentence sounded like a prayer. He wonders again how much Sabo knows that they don't. And how much Luffy knows but is unwilling to tell.


	18. Chapter 18

**I'm sorry. This is all I can do. I think I have can't-write-one-piece-fanfiction-itis. I apologize in advance for this chapter.**

 **SpadianTimeMage- Sabo is awesome.**

 **AndurilofTolkein- I have things planned, but I just don't know how to get there…**

 **MyAnimeObsession- Thanks. And yeah, it was planned to be that way. Also, doesn't inclusive threat of death just warm your heart?**

 **Flowerbelle- Request will be granted. Eventually. And in regards to Luffy's catchphrase, I'm waiting for the right time…you'll know when it comes.**

The Ghost strolls into the mess hall in the late morning, and jaws drop. Maybe it's because although his signature cloak is draped over his shoulders, the hood is down, and a straw hat is jammed firmly on his head. More likely it was because that no one had ever seen the Ghost without his brothers, and yet. Here he was, completely unaccompanied. Marco looks around, and sees spoons and forks frozen halfway to mouths. The surprise only grows when the Ghost grins cheerfully at the staring faces, lifts a hand, and happily bids them a good morning.

A crash is heard as a pirate falls off his chair.

The Ghost doesn't seem to notice the intense scrutiny of the Whitebeard pirates as he casually makes his way to the food, stealing a piece of meat off someone's plate in the process. The pirate cries out in indignation.

"Hey!"

The Ghost opts to ignore the poor man in favor of snatching another cut of sea king. When the young pirate grabs a plate, conversation slowly begins to start up again, but the pirates haven't quite moved pass the topic of the Ghost yet.

" _That's_ the Ghost?"

"Are you sure?"

"He's like, twelve!"

"Why do you think he's on the seas?"

"Maybe it has something to do with his brothers…"

The Ghost either doesn't notice the whispers or doesn't care. Marshall D Teach enters the dining room at that moment in mid laugh, and his eyes immediately fix on the Ghost. The Ghost turns, and stares. The whispers ebb, and all eyes make their way to the two pirates. Teach takes a step closer. The room holds a breath. The Ghost doesn't move a muscle. In quick strides, Teach is halfway across the room, steps away from the Ghost. It's an almost comical sight, the Ghost dwarfed by Teach, a messy head of black hair and a yellow straw hat just inches above Teach's yellow sash.

The Ghost meets Teach's eyes straight on.

"Nice to see you here," the pirate says, and all people present release a breath the weren't aware they were holding. "Where are your brothers?"

The Ghost shrugs. "Not sure," he says, and Marco can see those wide, guileless brown eyes narrow into something significantly less innocent and guileless. Teach bursts into laughter.

"Then why are you here?" he asks.

"Food," is the straightforward answer. Marco knows Teach doesn't quite believe the Ghost's words, but he lets out another peal of laughter.

"Well, then," Teach says, "who am I to keep a man from nourishment?" It sounds a bit more taunting than Marco would've liked, but it serves its purpose. The tension is abated, but the Ghost doesn't move as he watches Teach's back make its way to Marco.

Teach slides into the seat beside him, and the Ghost picks up a plate. Conversation returns to normal, although hushed muttering can still be picked out amidst the mundane. Surprisingly, once the Ghost has finished unloading all the food he can on four plates balanced precariously on unsteady arms, he doesn't make his way out of the dining hall.

Instead, he makes himself home at the nearest table.

The Whitebeard pirates sitting at that table shy away. Marco glares, but the Ghost seems to be immune to the distrust, and begins digging in, oblivious to the harsh words arising in that section of the dining hall.

"What is he doing here, anyways?" someone hisses, and something propels Marco to pick up his plate and stand up. Teach turns to look at him with something close to satisfaction, and Marco closes his ears as he walks over to the Ghost and drops his plate down next to him. The pirate looks up, and swallows his food whole.

"Where are your brothers, yoi?" he asks. The Ghost's clear brown eyes reveal nothing, and Marco thinks, _he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, is he?_ But he's seen what those eyes can do. "I'm not sure," the Ghost says, and Marco can't tell for the life of him if he's lying. Curiel comes over.

"Hey," he says. "Is the brat looking for his brothers?" The Ghost glares at him, bristling, and Marco feels a tug of something. _He's just a child_ , he wonders for a bare fraction of a second. _What's he doing here?_

"No," he replies, with a hint of petulance, and he adjusts the straw hat on his head. Marco suddenly remembers a question he'd been wanting to ask.

"Ghost," he says, for lack of an actual name, "that straw hat looks familiar."

The Ghost's gaze instantly turns guarded, and his eyes stare into Marco's.

"Now that you say it," Curiel remarks, "it does look like the one Red Hair used to wear."

"Red Hair?" the Ghost asks, confusion on his face.

"Akagami Shanks." The confusion melts away, but the guardedness remains.

"Oh, Shanks!" the kid says, barely quelled excitement in his voice, and Marco quirks an eyebrow. Akagami Shanks was a good enough pirate, though with an unhealthy addiction to sake. Still, he wasn't quite the type to make friends with young children, considering he was a bit of a child himself and therefore viewed kids as his natural rivals.

"How do you know him?" Haruta's voice comes from above them, and Marco twists around to see Haruta himself standing above them, curious. They had garnered quite a crowd here, with the mere mention of the fellow Yonko's name. The Ghost's expression didn't change- he merely shoved another piece of meat in his mouth.

The pirates took that as a cue to give the pirate some personal space. Once the crowd has cleared out a bit, the Ghost stands up with a bulging stomach, leaving a display of empty plates behind.

"He gave me this hat," the Ghost says, and there is a faint tone of admiration in his voice. Marco can sense the conviction, the irresistible charisma, and he thinks, _these three will be formidable enemies, one day_. A grin stretches the length of the Ghost's face, tugging the scar underneath his eye upwards. Fire Fist and the Bloody Gentleman appear at the doorway, leaning on opposite sides of the doorframe.

No more words are spoken, and the Ghost walks out of the dining hall, meeting his brothers at the doorway. Marco is sure that Fire Fist and the Bloody Gentleman are smirking. The two brothers push themselves off the door and wait for half a second longer, sweeping their eyes over the crowd before turning around as well to walk beside the Ghost. Fire Fist slings an arm over his brother's skinny shoulders.

Marco has to give it to them, ASL's dramatic exits are brilliant.

"Did I do okay?" Luffy asks, and Sabo lifts the worn straw hat to ruffle his brother's hair.

"It was perfect, Luffy. We were watching it all, and you did awesome."

Ace smirks. "This should all go according to plan." Sabo glares at his brother.

"Stop taking the credit! It was my plan."

"Fine," Ace grumbles.

Sure enough, by noon, the whispers have peaked, and the recording snails Sabo has placed in inconspicuous spots on the ship have caught every little drop of gossip. Sabo listens to them, one at a time, and he smiles. Mistrust is good. Mistrust will get them places. The Whitebeard pirates are suspicious of them, and the Whitebeard pirates, like any other pirate group of substantial size, gossip. Like schoolchildren, in fact.

The rumor mill is a powerful thing, he thinks, and smiles. Who says that this can't be fun?

After all, you could never be _too_ sure.

 **I wrote the first part a week before the second part, so what happened was I forgot what I was going to do with the first scene, so I apologize for that.**


	19. Chapter 19

**My writing strategy: Procrastinate as much as possible before the guilt sets in, then write the entire chapter in one hour and submit. Notice a few missing steps? Sadly, I can't seem to get rid of the habit. Anyways, a big thank you for anyone who read, favorited (is that a word?), followed, and reviewed. Especially reviews. Especially long reviews. Those are the best.**

 **Asuka1920- Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it~**

 **treavellergirl- I never actually thought of it that way. *mindblown* You're good. And of course Sabo is always a big help.**

 **ScandinavianTrash- Update! And I'm happy it's provoked curiosity. By the way, I really like your username for no reason whatsoever. I'm random like that.**

 **skatingandcruzing- yes, I really do. Thank you, and I like to think that with so many people on a boat, they're bound to gossip.**

 **Ella- Thanks a lot! The pressure, though...:) I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!**

 **Flowerbelle- No, it's really helpful. It lets me characterize Luffy better, so keep it up! Also, half of your wishes got fulfilled! Well, three fourths of the wishes if the thought counts.**

The next two weeks pass with few inconveniences- as usual, most people see neither hide nor hair of the ASL trio, and a few of the pirates have already begun to forget they were even there. Not Marco, who've discovered more traces of them in their files. Again. Even after they moved them to a different location. Definitely not the cooks, who've discovered pieces of the kitchen door on the ground and plates shattered into miniscule shards, as well as some particular food items missing. (They were currently issuing a complaint, and were mostly sure it wasn't any of the original crew members.) Certainly not Whitebeard, who's had a rather more personal encounter with them to cement their presence in his brain. The pirates have been on his mind, a constant ache that had started a few days ago, beginning with one particular visitor.

* * *

The night had been calm, a rare feat in the Grand Line. Whitebeard hadn't been expecting anyone, had looked forward to opening the window, reveling in the briny sea air, and simply doing nothing. His taste for adrenaline and adventure had diminished quite a bit during the years, and now it was only a paltry part of what kept him on the seas.

If he was anyone else, he wouldn't have noticed the shiver of air as the door opened a slit and then closed just as quickly. But he had, and he turned around, just catching the Ghost's shadow slide off the far wall. He looked up to see the Ghost hanging from the rafters like a monkey, hat clutched tightly to his head. The young pirate grinned, mouth stretching wide and dropped to the deck in a crouch, flipping in midair.

"Ah, you caught me!" he said, not sounding particularly surprised. Whitebeard studied him for a long moment- the Ghost's smile didn't falter an iota. In the lamplight, he could see dark shadows under the pirate's eyes.

Whitebeard waved him over to a chair, but the pirate didn't move, just stood in the center of the room holding his hat, dopey grin on his face.

"What're you here for, brat?" he asked. "Do you know what you're doing?" This was his private cabin, after all, and the cheeky young pirate could do better than invoke his ire by disturbing him for no reason. The Ghost, seeming to sense this, moved closer, guileless eyes taking in every inch of his cabin, from the worn cabinet to the vibrant coral on display to a window that opened directly into the open air.

"You knew Roger, didn't you?" A fact, a statement, and Whitebeard caught a hint of childish excitement. So this child admired his former rival.

"What about him?" he asked, curious. Most either hated Roger or tried to pretend he never existed. In his experience, the latter never worked, but he was getting off topic. Was the brat trying to ask about the one piece? If that was the case, he would have to reevaluate his opinion of these pirates.

"Tell me about him," the Ghost said. That caught him slightly off guard, and Whitebeard raised an eyebrow- but it shouldn't have come as a shock. Brats were brats, no matter how strange they were, even if they were pirates at the tender age of fourteen. Besides, he didn't want his Roger stories to rot and die- he had a number of them, and some were really quite entertaining. So Whitebeard indulged him. There were few people who wanted to listen about Roger, and there was something special about it, something about telling a story to one who didn't know. He knew there had to be something more to the unexpected visit- the Ghost wouldn't have come simply to listen to stories. But try as he might, he couldn't discern an ulterior motive.

He fed the Ghost harmless little tales of the few times they had met, what he had heard over the years and the things he knew. The Ghost adamantly refused to listen to anything that might give a hint about the One Piece, and that only piqued his interest even more. For an hour that felt much shorter than it actually was, it was only them, only the story and the past and the memories between them, and he held the Ghost in rapture. The young pirate was transfixed, clinging on to every word. He was having fun, the Ghost was a breath of fresh air, young and lively and not yet broken by the world.

"Won't your brothers be worried?" he asked finally, after spinning a story about one of the few Garp-Sengoku-Roger conflicts he had the bad luck to witness.

"No," the child said, and that was all, as if this was his cabin and Whitebeard was a guest who he had to remind to keep out of his business. Added to that fact, it was very obviously a lie- the Ghost had bit his lip and blatantly avoided eye contact. He had to laugh at the selfishness of the Ghost- it quite reminded him of a few people, as well. Whitebeard suddenly sobered, and the Ghost's smile dropped a few notches as well. The Ghost seemed to sense it was past the time for stories and harmless banter. The Ghost's mouth opened, and a troubled expression crossed his face, before he seemed to think better of whatever he was about to say and closed it. Silence stretched between them.

"What does it stand for?" the Ghost had asked suddenly, and even now the memory was clear as when it had been made. "Gol D Roger?" It was obviously not what he came here to say, but the curiosity was genuine. The Ghost placed special emphasis on the middle syllable, and Whitebeard knew exactly what the Ghost was talking about.

"Do you want to know?" he had asked. That was information not easily divulged, and if he truly wanted to know, it wouldn't be easy. The meaning of the middle initial was only for those who bore it to ever know. It wasn't his place to tell. He felt a faint feeling of disappointment, and he searched for the reason- had he expected something else?

"No." The huge grin was back. "I don't, so don't tell me," the Ghost said, and Whitebeard didn't bother to ask why he'd asked him if he didn't want the answer, only tipped his head back and laughed, and he heard the Ghost snicker. Whitebeard stood up, and the Ghost rose as well, hopping to his feet in an exuberant burst of energy. Whitebeard was unable to match the Ghost's boundless enthusiasm, but he chuckled as well.

"Thanks, old man!" The Ghost tipped him a quick bow. The young pirate had left as quickly as he came, slipping out the door like a wraith. All that had been strange, yes, but not, not…unnatural, if that was the correct word. And Whitebeard must have been getting on in years, because it was a few seconds after that he noticed something wrong. The Ghost's shadow had suddenly enlarged, expanding like a balloon, and although he couldn't quite remember what it looked like, it certainly wasn't human. With it came bloodthirst, a unexpected strong wave of it, but just when he identified the feeling, it disappeared, as if sucked into a vacuum and it never existed.

He crossed the room in one swift stride and flung open the door. The sudden anomaly had disappeared, and it was his own monstrous shadow that spread down the corridor. The Ghost was halfway down the hallway, crouched against the wall with a hand against his mouth, seeming impossibly small. He was coughing, Whitebeard could see, thin shoulders racked with violent shudders. A sudden pang of worry hit him. He was by the Ghost's side in seconds, and the Ghost turned to look at him, teeth bared in a snarl, a complete juxtaposition from the open, carefree young man of earlier, and Whitebeard couldn't help but wonder. _Not yet broken by the world,_ he remembered thinking. True, but maybe he was a bit less innocent then previously thought. The Ghost turned, doubling over again, and his breathing came harsh and too shallow. He patted him on the back. A pat by his standards- on anyone else, a hearty smack that could topple people over.

The Ghost coughed wetly, the sound bubbling up out of his throat, and that seemed to do the trick. "You alright?" he asked, and the Ghost, seeming to grasp his composure again, nodded, making a motion that inevitably meant _go_ _away_.

"I'm taking you to the infirmary," he said, steel and iron and unrelenting, but the Ghost shook his head where others would have quailed.

"I'm," the young pirate said, "fine." His tone brooked no opposition. The physical embodiment of fire, this boy was, even if it was his brother that controlled the element itself. All life and destruction, beauty and rage. He had no doubt the Ghost and Fire Fist were similar, at least more so than the scarred Bloody Gentleman. Even in this situation, he had to admire the Ghost's bravery. Recklessness, in this case.

"That's not fine," Whitebeard told him. He would have thought it was obvious, but by now, he was used to dealing with pigheaded crew members who kept refusing medical attention whilst bleeding to death. And sure enough:

"Please." On anyone else, a pathetic plea, but so far, the Ghost didn't seem to be adhering to the rules of normal, by anyone's standards. "I don't," he coughed again, "need it."

Whitebeard regarded him for a moment, assessing his condition with a flick of angled eyes. "You won't tell me what that was, will you?" he said finally. A definite shake of the head, but he had expected nothing less. "I'm not going to have my guests sick," he said. "But I'll trust your judgement. If I see this again…" he left it hanging.

"I _know_. Don't," he gasped, "don't tell." Whitebeard nodded, understanding the sentiment.

"I won't." _For_ _now_ , he thought, and he watched with narrowed eyes as the Ghost pulled himself up, leaning on the wall. The Ghost stood up on shaky legs and walked out of sight, hand pressed against his chest.

He'd seen red stains on the young pirate's palm.

Luffy had followed his nose. It had been hours past dinner, but Luffy knew that on a ship this size, they would have prepared food for the next day as well. He opened his fist and looked at his palm. He hadn't had an attack like this in a long time, and it must have been because he lost so much blood during the fight a few islands back. _You're_ _going_ _to_ _be_ _King_ , he thought to himself. _You won't die here._ A thought that always comforted him, but at the same time, just a thought. Not out loud. Not yet.

The scent of meat led him through dark corridors and past hallways and rooms and locked up doors, until he finally found himself standing in front of the kitchen door. He peered through the glass pane. Jackpot. Luffy could see pots and pans and dirty dishes piled up in a sink, a cupboard, immaculately organized cutlery, and finally…a fridge.

He'd just gotten around to attempting to jerk the chains off the fridge when he heard faint footsteps, getting closer, and Luffy spared a glance for the wood splinters on the floor, and the door, swaying gently on one hinge. Muffling another cough with one sleeve, he jumped up onto the counter, barely registering his feet sweeping a stack of plates on the ground and the resulting crash. His eyes flicking over the contents of the cupboard, and settling for a large bag of soup crackers, hopped down. This would achieve two purposes. Sneaking out was a piece of cake.

Facing his brothers wasn't. When he returned to their room, Sabo and Ace weren't there, and Luffy knew they must have gone looking for him. Quickly, he scrubbed the blood off his sleeve, then settled down on the bed. Luffy could hear his older brothers arguing long before they actually opened the door, and he felt a little stab of guilt for making them worry. The door was flung open, and he looked up at his brothers, a weak smile on his face.

"Hey!" he greeted, and cracker crumbs fell out of his mouth. Ace's mouth dropped open, and Sabo's expression was dark and downright murderous.

"Where were you?" Ace had asked, voice escalating into a shout at the end of the sentence, and Luffy readied himself.

"I was visiting the old man," he said, petulant. "I couldn't sleep." He nearly missed the pained looks that flitted over his brother's faces, and he had to bite his tongue to stop from refuting the previous statement. Ace immediately softened, but Sabo wasn't convinced.

"Stealing food too, by the looks of it," he snorted, and Luffy may have relaxed a little too late, because a second later, he was flying across the room, crashing against the wall with a thud. He barely managed to hold onto his crackers, and it took him a few moments for the world to stop spinning and warping. He stood up, rubbing his forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You _know_ what that was for, idiot!"

"What were you even doing?" Sabo asked.

And so Luffy launched into an enthusiastic explanation of all the stories Whitebeard had told (that didn't involve Roger) and although Sabo acted indifferent, Luffy knew he was interested too. He added little tidbits on the geography of the islands just for him, and sure enough, the anger simmered down, and he no longer felt like his brothers had the urge to kill him. Ace had a little smile twitching at the corner of his mouth as he watched his little brother reenact the no doubt exaggerated stories, complete with actions.

" _Tell_ us next time before you disappear on us, will you?" Sabo sighed, and Luffy let out a breath of relief, and grinned.

"Okay!"

He couldn't bring himself to speak of what had happened, and that night, he wasn't the only one restless. Whitebeard fell asleep more uneasily than usual as he reminisced over the events of the day. If it was lethal or something like that, he was going to _kill_ the brat for underplaying it.

He doesn't trust me, he thought. But I have time to make him.

* * *

It's been a few days, and Luffy knows that his brothers will find out eventually, but he can't help but try to keep it from them- they have enough on their plates already. He can hear Ace and Sabo talking at midnight, voices so anxious it makes his throat hurt. The tone doesn't suit them, and he can't help but remember the same voices, impossibly free and alive. He shakes the dismal thoughts from his mind and laughs along with the Birdie as he watches Ace's current attempt on the old man's life. Ace has garnered an audience- there's pirates draped across the railing, sitting on the deck, leaning against barrels of rum. The Birdie is beside them, close but politely far a meter or so away, an arm tossed carelessly over the railing. Sabo has his head buried in his hands, but is peeking through the gaps between his fingers to see.

Ace has somehow managed to acquire a truly monstrous double sided mace, and he swings it at Whitebeard, gravity sending it crashing down with incredible force. Whitebeard dodges it effortlessly, grabs the leather wrapped handle, wrenches it from Ace's grip and sends the mace flying.

"Hey!" Someone shouts, running out from below deck. "That's mine!" Ace gives the man a quick bow, barely acknowledging him. Luffy watches as Ace does an effortless flip in the air, and he cheers. Ace barely lands before trying again, leaping high and using his fire to propel him, and Luffy watches his arms dissolve into flame. Whitebeard grabs his bisento from its perch by his side.

"Try not to destroy the ship!" The Phoenix shouts at the fighters, and Ace grins as he aims a signature punch at Whitebeards face. Whitebeard doesn't take kindly to that, and soon, Sabo is jumping onto the railing to catch him by his shirt in midair.

"What was that?" Ace asks after he shakes the stars from his head. "Round number eight?"

"Round twenty two," Sabo informs him, and drops him onto the deck with a thud, adopting a disgusted expression as he cleans off his gloves.

Luffy laughs, loud and raucous, and this time, a few of the Whitebeards laugh with him too.

Luffy doesn't miss the look Whitebeard aims at him, and he knows the man hasn't forgotten.

* * *

The fight over, the pirates disperse, heading off in separate directions, and Whitebeard himself heads back to his cabin. The Phoenix excuses himself as well, heading below decks. Sabo looks up to see a gull in the sky, descending from a thin strip of cloud in the north. "Excuse me," he says, to nobody in particular. "I have some business to take care of." Ace nods from where he's trying to recover his balance, understanding.

This time, it only takes a few minutes (practice really does make perfect), and soon he's back in their room, tapping his fingers against the desk, eying the Den Den Mushi that occupies most of the space. So far, all he has on Sienta Byrne is that he definitely isn't in a government facility, and if he can't find anything soon, he'll have to resort to some more… _unorthodox_ methods. He feels his muscles tense just at the thought, and he makes them relax as he hears the door open. Sabo smiles at Luffy and Ace, who've just paid a small visit to the dining hall and have brought their food back to their room. (Which really is an impressive feat, considering it involves them taking four plates each.)

"Some of the pirates kept trying to get us to stay," Ace grumbles, and Sabo nods distractedly, trying to remember. He rubs his eyes, a sudden wave of afternoon lethargy hitting him.

"I'll take it later," Sabo tells him as Luffy offers him a plate. "I'll be in the library." He levels a glare at Ace. "Clean up after yourselves," he tells them, and Ace gives a dismissive wave.

"I will."

Reading has always calmed him, and it's been too long since he's felt a book in his hands. He skillfully navigates the many hallways of the Moby Dick before pushing open a seemingly unassuming glass door. The smell of books and glue hits him like a wave of fresh air, and he smiles as he sees the labeling on the shelves. That makes things easier. Sabo heads directly for the navigation section, drawing a finger across leather bound copies. He completely skips the first section and most of the second. After all, he isn't just here for recreation.

He picks up a thick tome on Islands of the Grand Line, accompanied with some really quite fascinating theories, and settles down to read. _Now, if I was a murdering psychopathic mad scientist, where would I go?_ The book was ordered alphabetically, and loose sheaves of paper were neatly tucked into some places, names of islands scrawled at the top. He starts with the A section, a paltry collection of eighteen pages.

"Hey," a voice interrupts him. He'd noticed when the man came in, of course- haki has its uses, but he had really hoped nobody would bother him. With a sigh, he looks up from his book, currently on page twelve, under ALABASTA. It's Izo, the sixteenth division commander, hair and dress immaculate as always, and Sabo can see two slight lumps in the fabric where his pistols would rest. "Mind if I borrow that?" he asks.

It takes a moment to shake Sabo out of his book induced daze, before he realizes the pirate is asking for his book. "Of course," he says, and stands up, reluctantly closing his newfound object of interest.

"Thanks," the sixteenth division commander says, and Sabo hands the book over with a polite bow. "You're interested in navigation?" he asks.

"I've always found it fascinating," Sabo replies, and glances towards the door- he's still a little bit sore about the book, and if he's not going to read, he wants to get back to Luffy and Ace before they destroy their room. And each other.

"So, are you the navigator for your crew?"

Sabo chuckles, but the laugh is slightly guarded. "Yes. With Ace and Luffy around, my captainly duties mostly just consist of settling disputes and negating stupidity, which, although taxing, gives me enough time to take over another job."

"Sounds similar. Marco and the commanders may act mature, but really they're worse than the crew." The commander shudders. "Much worse."

"Hypocrisy." Sabo doesn't need to turn to know it's the Phoenix making his way towards them, weaving through the shelves. "Blatant hypocrisy."

Izo folds his arms. "How so?"

"You used me for target practice." Marco deadpans. "Twice. And the second time, you brought your entire division along."

"It's not like you were hurt! Besides, I was training your reflexes, and seriously, how many of them actually hit you? Like, three! In four hours!"

Marco scoffs. "It was annoying."

"…you're preening."

"It's not my fault you're a horrible shot," the Phoenix drawls. Izo opens his mouth to retort.

"You know, I think you've made your point," Sabo interjects. "I'll get going now."

"Wait," Izo raises a hand to stop him, and Sabo arches an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asks. Izo rolls his eyes.

"Why are you always so suspicious?" the commander closes his book, and hands it to him. "I just wanted to give this back."

"Isn't it yours? Whitebeard's?"

"You can borrow it," Izo says. "Most of the pirates here are illiterate idiots, anyways." The harsh words are clouded with affection.

Sabo smiles slightly. "Thank you, Sixteenth."

"Call me Izo." He points to the Phoenix. "And you can call him Marco, because seriously, hearing your crewmate being called by their title makes me think that marines are attacking." Sabo twists his lip in a sardonic fashion- that had never been the case with their crew. He addressed them by their marine issued titles more often than not, or in the case that they didn't have one, their surname.

Sabo tips his hat to them, and pulls his gloves up further. "Well, I have to repay your hospitality, I suppose. Thank you, Izo. Marco."

Ace looks up as he sees Sabo enter the room and points to the not yet empty plates on the table.

"You better thank me," he complains, "do you know how much effort it took to keep Luffy off this?" The person in question laughed from his spot by the corner, where he appeared to be focused on making a tower out of checkers and chess pieces. Sabo strips off his gloves, leaving them on the pillow of his bed.

"I can certainly imagine."

 **Sorry for the lack of Ace in this one, everyone. But anyways, thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Utmost thanks to everyone who hasn't given up on this story. School is being annoying, to say the least, and I hope I can get more done once summer break starts. I haven't written this story in so long, I'm afraid that the next few chapters will be kind of a disjointed mosaic of plot until I get things back on track.**

 **Also- *waves goodbye to the slowly disappearing ship of canon.* Again, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed.  
**

~Somewhere on the Grand Line~

A Week Ago

Are you sure, Dragon?" His current Chief in Staff stands beside him, a slim figure that still cannot replace the flamboyancy of Ivankov, even after years to adjust. Dragon stands on the top of the hill's crest, surveying the peaceful landscape, the two mountains and the hulking concrete facility nestled between. Soon, it would be a field of carnage. "There is still time to call this off."

Yes, the current Chief would never replace Ivankov. He was a temporary measure. "Yes, I'm sure," Dragon says. "Let's give that blue eyed kid a present, shall we?" Dragon glances at his Chief, who is no doubt biting back a question, and he bites back a sigh of his own. The sooner Sabo could finish this, the better. The Chief raises a baby den den mushi to his mouth, and sends a clipped order through it, earning back a similarly clipped, tinny response.

Dragon watches the island burn.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Blue eyes stare into the distance, hidden in shadow, a smirk playing on the corner of a mouth.

"Yes. Interesting, isn't it? The coincidences life will throw at us?"

The smirk suddenly disappears- long fingers trace the groove of metal. "Coincidences. Of course. Did you find him?"

"No, but he left too quickly to hide all his traces- further investigations revealed some interesting information. Naturally, he gave very little information away, but there were people who could remember certain details about him- it could help you out."

"Investigations, huh?" He knows the word all too well.

A chuckle. "Yes. You'd want to listen to this…"

He fiddles with the line of the Den Den Mushi, twisting and looping it into patterns almost subconsciously as his lips press into a thin line, before finally curving into a smile. Fate, for once, was playing in their favour. Who could have known?

He turns from the Den Den Mushi and smiles at his brothers. "Hey, I'm going out."

Luffy and Ace look up from their attempts to, in the case of Ace, teach Luffy poker, and in Luffy's case, learn it, and fix twin brown eyes on him. As in these moments, he feels a stab of sadness- he doesn't even look like them. For two idiots, however, their eyes and instincts are remarkably sharp, and he focuses on keeping his face open, neutral. Luffy drops his cards on the bed, causing Ace to groan and reach to bonk him on the head with a fist- he revealed all his cards _again_ \- and leaps up to him, guileless brown eyes determined. He ruffles Luffy's black hair, feeling a sudden pang of affection.

"Where are you going?"

Sabo can't suppress his surprise. Usually, in these moments, he would just smile at him, beg him to take him with him, only to pout in comical disappointment when the answer was a firm no. _Things are changing,_ he thinks suddenly. _They've been changing ever since that day, and you just don't want to see it._ Nostalgia hits him like a bullet. It's the least he can do for his brother that grew up too fast and yet didn't grow up at all, to make sure that the change is a good thing.

"Just meeting up with someone. I'll be fine." Luffy tilts his head and stares at him with searching eyes.

"Alright," he says, smile blooming on his face again, and Sabo can't help but feel he just passed a particularly demanding test.

* * *

Akainu had come in useful.

Who could've known? He reassured himself- nobody. He knew the Bloody Gentleman was well connected mostly because of his own cunning, but this was an unbelievably risky move that had somehow worked in the man's favour. Marshall D Teach curls his lip as he stares at the Bloody Gentleman, who has his arms hanging loosely by his side, but the tight grip on the metal pipe is unmistakable. It had taken what had felt like hours to track the pirate down, even though it had only been thirty minutes, and ever since that call, and his anger had been stoked into a bonfire. Sold it- sold it! It was an insult to the purity of the fruit itself. This had happened thousands of times in the past, but somehow the Bloody Gentleman was different.

"You lied to me," he says. "You-"

"Not necessarily. I said I could lead you to it. I still can." Teach had spent years scouring the seas for this- he'd gotten so close- he couldn't give it up now.

"How not?" He says, frustration curdling in his stomach. "You said you knew where it was and you _don't_. Well, not exactly." The Bloody Gentleman regards him from beneath the rim of his hat, icy blue eyes cold and calculating. The young pirate saunters forward, and he's close enough to touch now, close enough to _kill_ \- his own fingers twitch, and that's a mistake.

"I should have killed you," the Bloody Gentleman says conversationally. "I should have murdered you in your sleep once I had the chance. And believe me, I had plenty. But I won't." The Bloody Gentleman takes a step forward, and a metal clad boot heel thuds on the ridged wood. Moonlight leaks through a canopy of grey, and the starburst scar is gruesome, _glaring_ as sea breeze sweeps blond bangs aside. The ribbon of his hat has come undone, and it ripples like a flag in the air. Water sloshes against the keel of the ship in a rhythm unwoven by the stars.

"Why not?" Teach asks, and the shudder that runs down his spine is, though tiny, _there_. The Bloody Gentleman is almost a head shorter, who knows how much skinnier, and a mere guest on Whitebeard's ship while he was a honored and valued crew member, and yet…he's no less formidable without his dear brothers, perhaps even more so, because with his brothers he has to stop his fangs from protruding. There're no such reservations now.

"You know," the Bloody Gentleman says, "it's all your government's fault, actually. And so by extension yours." His gaze flicks to his pipe, and a in a smooth, deadly motion, he spins his fingers over the surface of the pipe to where it would be perfectly placed to lift the weapon and slam it into Teach's neck. Someone else would probably be reduced to a puddle of fear by now, but Teach is no amateur in this game- he too was taught by a master. If only they knew- Sienta Byrne was cruel, ruthless, but nonetheless efficient like very few masters could be. He couldn't disappoint him now, could he?

The Bloody Gentleman advances- he takes an opportune step away, not defensive, but if only to seek a better angle of attack. He keeps one eye on the weapon and lifts his gaze to the Bloody Gentleman, who lifts a condescending eyebrow. "You didn't exactly cover up your traces well. I assume that quite a few people will be disappointed if you're revealed as a traitor to your crew now, no? Quite shocking, really." The Bloody Gentleman adopts a mocking tone. "Ah, it would truly be a terrible shame. How horrible." Cold washes down his throat- it takes embarrassing seconds for him to be able to speak.

"How did you know?" His lips form a disgusted snarl that freezes in his mouth. "I should've known, actually. You're an underhanded coward." He smirks. "Your dear brothers don't know, do they?"

The Bloody Gentleman hums. "That's hardly an insult, especially coming from the likes of you."

Teach tilts his head back and laughs- it's true amusement at the world in general, at love, devotion, all those things that humans seem to value so much. "But you haven't answered my question yet, have you? Why not?" The Bloody Gentleman raises an eyebrow- a fallen angel carved out of stone, and Teach has no trouble believing that he's inhuman, molded by the world, and the world is the cruelest master of all. "Why not kill me?" he specifies.

"You can't believe that it was out of the goodness of my heart?" Teach cackles, doubling over in laughter- the Bloody Gentleman stands tall and straight faced. "Well?"

Recovering his composure, Teach swipes a hand over his brow. "Ha! In another world, perhaps. In another time, certainly. You had the potential. It was beaten out of you." The Bloody Gentleman's mouth quirks in what cannot be reliably called a smile but yet is, and his eyes reflect something close to cynical amusement.

"You're surprisingly perceptive." He moves away, steps back, and Teach does the same, and finally he can breathe. He's acutely aware of everything- every change the air breathes- it feels as if he's been set free without ever knowing he was a captive. The wind dances across his skin, and the hair on the back of his neck raises. The Bloody Gentleman turns to run a hand across the railing of the ship, and Teach waits for him to speak. "My brothers seem comfortable here. I would hate to deprive them of it."

Teach watches as his hopes shatter with a paltry two sentences out of the Bloody Gentleman's mouth. For a second, he had dared to think- but of course not. It was an acquired state after all, that the Bloody Gentleman was too intelligent to attempt to acquire it. "You're not like me, are you? Shame." There were so few people able to understand how he thinks, so few people able to comprehend the truth of the world without petty human emotion getting in the way, and for a minute he had thought he'd finally found a mate in the Bloody Gentleman, but then it turned out that the Bloody Gentleman was the same type of fool his brothers were, just aware of that fact.

"Did you think I was?" the Bloody Gentleman asks.

"Yes," he admits. "Well, now that the conversation is over, do you suppose we could get down to business? I'd hate to see any of us dissatisfied with the final outcome of this little discussion." He waits expectantly- the Bloody Gentleman says nothing. "The fruit," he specifies. Not that the man needs it, he knows by the dark cast in his eyes that the Bloody Gentleman knows exactly what he's talking about. The young pirate is picking his words, planning and plotting, and Teach is kind enough to let him. _Plan all you want_ , he thinks. _You can't beat me._

"Rest assured, I know where you can get your fruit," he says finally, and Blackbeard, without fail, picks up the loophole in his words.

"And at the end of the deal, you deliver it whole and untouched into my hands, right?"

"Of course," the Bloody Gentleman says without hesitation.

"Swear on your honor as a pirate?" He smirks- the Bloody Gentleman, ruthless as he may be, would never break such an oath or risk never sailing under a pirate flag again.

"Wait," the Bloody Gentleman says, and Teach's grin grows wider. "I'd like to discuss my side of the deal first."

"Of course," Teach replies smoothly. The Bloody Gentleman begins, counting off leather gloved fingers.

"First, you do not touch my brothers."

"That's a given," Teach says, and the Bloody Gentleman nods tightly.

"Second, you deliver the Devil Fruit serum whole and untouched into my hands at the end of the deal. At the same time as I deliver your fruit. Exact second, no tricks."

"That's also obvious," Teach says.

"I just wanted to clear it up." The Bloody Gentleman raises his eyes to look at him. Teach sees the same iron determination that fuels him shining in those eyes- it would be hard to miss it, having lived with it, having experienced it first hand. But the Bloody Gentleman was far more foolish than him- the Bloody Gentleman had never deigned to hide it. It was a point of some envy for him. He had to wait, pacing around like a tiger caged, knowing one snap of his jaws could devastate wholly their numbers, but yet he had to wait. The Bloody Gentleman roamed free.

The Bloody Gentleman was a true pirate.

Teach gestures for him to continue with a hand adorned with jewel studded golden rings- pearly light slants off the facets, creating bars of white against the dark shadows.

"Third," the man tilts his head to the side, regarding him in an almost feline manner. "You do know of a Sienta Byrne, do you not?"

Teach inhales sharply- and breaks into full bodied, near hysterical laughter. He'd never thought he'd hear that name resounding in his ears again.

"Why do you want to know?" he jeers. "Need him for something? If so, you're in deeper than I thought."

The Bloody Gentleman leans back, satisfaction curling his lip. "So you do know him."

"Know him!" Teach scoffs. "I can do better than that. But that would require the use of another deal."

"So I thought." The beginnings of worry crease his forehead, and Teach is left with the feeling that the Bloody Gentleman had swallowed his words before they could occupy the silence, leaving only a mirage behind. He turns words over in his head, wonders if anything he can say would fill the silence.

The Bloody Gentleman stills, suddenly, gaze fixing on the horizon, and Teach follows his look into the night mist. It takes a blink for his eyes to adjust, but once he focuses, he can see dark, hulking shapes in the fog. It doesn't take long for him to recognize the characteristic shape, the spotted pattern of the hulls.

It wasn't Akainu, certainly. It was probably just the normal group of marines that attacked the Moby Dick in regular intervals, trying to see if there was a weak spot. There wasn't, of course. But he couldn't help thinking that this was somehow related to the ASL trio. He spares a moment to glance at the Bloody Gentleman. The man has his fingers curled around the railing so tightly that his knuckles are white. He spins, suddenly, on his heel to face Teach, and draws his metal pipe.

"We'll settle this later," he growls. "For now…"

"Allies," Teach agrees, and grins savagely.

* * *

Alarms blare on the Moby Dick- the lookouts don't bother for stealth- it's already much too late. The vulgar blare of the confounded alarms reverberate through the wood of the ship, blasting through hallways and bedrooms and rousing many an unhappy sleeper. Some people- Luffy for example, jump up immediately, tossing the blanket to who knows where, excitement palpable as he jams his hat on his head, has a mini glaring contest with the long black cloak, and finally after a split second's deliberation, whips it over his shoulders like a superhero cape. Others, like Ace, rub their eyes, groan, sits up, curses the noise while resisting his little brother's arms dragging him out of bed, and promptly collapses back into bed, jamming the pillow over his ears.

But finally, everyone's awake and ready(to a certain extent) when lookouts with loudspeakers and earmuffs scream "MARINES!" at the top of their lungs at every single doorway. Ace stumbles to the door as the shout hits his ears, and he winces, nearly tripping, as Luffy giggles. He kicks open the door, revealing a pirate with two piercings on his left ear, shrugging sheepishly at him with a loudspeaker still at his mouth.

"Who's idea was _this_?" Ace growls, ignoring Luffy holding his stomach and laughing beside him.

"Sorry-" the man says, and coughs when he realizes he's still holding the loudspeaker to his lips, and drops it awkwardly, starting again. "Sorry. Standard procedure."

"From who?" Ace asks, rubbing his eyes again, and now he just looks tired. He curses as his eyebrow bursts into a little line of flame, and it's quickly sucked in, materializing again to skin and bone.

"Well," the pirate says, "it was implemented by the commanders after several _incidents_." He places special emphasis on the last word.

"What incidents?" Luffy asks, cocking his head. Ace groans. "I don't think you want to know." He silences his brother with a little glare, but is saved from further confrontation when the loudspeaker man checks his watch, curses, and looks up at them with an apologetic smile.

"Well, I still have things to do," he says, and switches the loudspeaker to **ON**. "I recommend you cover your ears." Ace dives for his pillow, plugging Luffy's sensitive ears as the ground shaking roar of "MARINES!" comes once again, this time at the door some way down the hallway. Luffy shoots him a grateful look as he releases his hands, only to start practically shaking with laughter again as a string of curses floats down the hallway, some of them quite...descriptive, accompanied by the occasional contrite "Sorry!" from the loudspeaker man.

Ace can't resist laughing with him. "Come on, Ghost," he says teasingly, "let's show 'em what we're made of." Luffy grins and bounds ahead, but through Ace's joy, one sharp, hawk's eye is focused on his brother.

* * *

The Phoenix drops down beside them as they make their way to the deck. His claws are out, petals of golden flame streaked with blue. His eyes are solemn, but a smile is on his mouth, and he greets Ace and Luffy politely, nodding to them. "I apologize for the rude wake up, Ghost, Fire Fist, yoi," he says.

"I'll say," Ace grumbles- he had been looking forward to a good night's sleep, and this was not what he had been expecting. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a mischievous light glint in Luffy's eyes, but there's no time to stop him, and he can only groan as Luffy pipes up. "Hey Birdie, the loudspeaker guy said that you only made this rule after some...indice- incidents." He looks up through the cloak with blatant curiosity. Ace would be lying if he said that he didn't want to know, as well.

The Phoenix- Marco- grimaces. "Er, I don't think now is the time, yoi. I'll tell you later," he gestures at the marine ships, now almost within firing range, "after we deal with these pesky flies." Luffy chuckles.

"Okay!" he says, and Ace has no doubt he'll hold Marco to that promise. And if he happens to be there while that particular story is revealed, well, that's no fault of his own.

All three of them look up as a boom is resounds through the air. With impossible grace, Marco's wings sprout from his shoulder blades, and the wind current launches him directly in the path of the cannonball. With one lethal kick, the cannonball is sliced neatly in half, and splashes back into the ocean. Juxtaposed against the silvery moon, he's almost like another star, fallen from heaven. It only takes one wing flap to bring him back to his original position, and the wood planking shudders as he drops down next to them, bringing with him a frosty gust of wind.

It's quite mesmerizing, actually, and he sees Luffy blatantly ogling the shards of blue fire, finally having the time and opportunity to. He looks into the Phoenix's eyes, and sees what Sabo's books would call the killing calm He jerks his head towards Luffy. The Phoenix would understand, it was just a question of whether...the Phoenix nods, and despite the roiling guilt in his gut and the bitter taste in his mouth, he can't help but be reassured.

"Allies," he says, and the Phoenix's eyebrows raise in surprise. "Of course...Ace. But weren't we always?"


End file.
